Z-Harmony (Complete Version)
by Connor-Olen
Summary: Z-Harmony is a new dating website that allows mammals to meet one another without knowing each other's species. The website advertises that sometimes the love of your life is in the last place you look. Judy Hopps is feeling lonely in the big city, so she takes a chance by logging on with some guy named Nick. (This story is slowly being re-uploaded onto this account)
1. Another Dating Website

Chapter One: Another Dating Website

Author's Note: So, let me explain a few things.

In the past year, I lost my old email address and had it replaced. This meant I couldn't find a way to log onto my old account on . And believe me, I tried. The reason why this was so upsetting is because I had previously written a story called "Z-Harmony", which got a very strong response. Like, even I can't believe how much people fell in love with that story.

The response for "A New Dawn" hasn't been nearly as strong, and I've been looking for ways to boost my viewer count. But I finally realized that the only way to get people invested in my new story is to finally finish my old story.

So, here's how this is going to work. I'm going to repost the entire story on my new account. And I do mean the _entire_ story, including the ending I never got around to writing. Then, hopefully I can get included on ZNN, that will bring viewers, and maybe that will finally bring an audience to A New Dawn.

I apologize if I sound bitter. I really don't hate this story, far from it. I had just gotten bored, and I dreaded going back to it for fear of disappointing a ridiculously large audience. But it's time to put that aside. It's time to go back to this story, and finally give it the ending it deserves.

One last thing - all the chapters of this story will be uploaded in a very short period of time, possibly by the end of the week.

And of course, I don't own Zootopia. You know the drill.

Let's do this.

...

(Thursday, April 7th)

Judy couldn't decide which was worse, parking duty or paperwork.

She had been working at the ZPD for a full month now, and in all that time, those were only two jobs she had been assigned to.

Parking duty let her go out into the city, but she was ridiculed every step of the way. Paperwork meant no harassment, but the work was incredibly dull. If Judy wanted to sit in a cubicle and do paperwork, she wouldn't have enrolled in police academy.

When she had first started on her job, she was incredibly upset that all of her hard training wasn't being put to any real use. She felt a little better after being told that it was common for new recruits to start off small. So, she tried to wait patiently until the day Chief Bogo would give her a real assignment.

Unfortunately, patience was not one of Judy Hopps' strong suits.

Judy gave a sigh of relief when her shift was over. She got up out of her chair, stretched her legs, and grabbed her stuff.

As she approached the front desk, she smiled when she saw Clawhauser. Judy hadn't been anticipating that her only real friend in the big city would come in the form of a much larger mammal, and a predator for that matter. But Judy found Clawhauser very easy to talk to, because he wasn't at all intimidating, unlike most of the other officers.

"I'm signing off for the day," Judy said.

Clawhauser looked up from his computer. "Oh hey, Judy." he said, "Have you heard about this new website?"

Judy raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna have to be more specific than that."

"It's called Z-Harmony," said Clawhauser. "I haven't been on it myself, but everybody's telling me about it. Apparently, it's a site where all sorts of different mammals can get together."

"You mean another dating site?"

"Yes, but this one's different," explained Clawhauser. "You know how interspecies couples are getting more and more common? Well, the idea is, they ask you personality questions, and then they get you talking with some other mammal without telling you what their species is."

"...Huh," said Judy. "Sounds interesting."

"I'm thinking about signing up for it," said Clawhauser. "Do you think I should?"

Judy shrugged. "It's not my place to tell other mammals what to do with their love life."

"Would _you_ do it?"

The question caught Judy completely off guard. After a few moments, she shook her head. "Clawhauser, I'm much too busy with work right now to even think about settling down with someone," she stated firmly.

"Who said anything about settling down?" asked Clawhauser. "It's just dating. And I know you've been awful stressed lately, so..."

Judy sighed. "Well, if the movies are any indication, romance doesn't make your life any less stressful."

"Okay, okay," Clawhauser said, defeated. "I'm not gonna force you into something you don't wanna do. I just thought you've seemed kind of lonely, so... never mind."

And with that, he turned away, with his mood significantly lowered. Judy felt bad for him, but what could she do? But as she said goodbye and turned to leave the building, she realized that Clawhauser had been right about one thing.

She was kind of lonely.

...

Elsewhere in Zootopia, two foxes named Nick and Finnick were counting up all the cash they had made from their latest con.

"And there you go, that takes care of your percentage."

The smaller of the two frowned. I still don't think it's fair that you get most of the money, Nick. I do most of the work."

Nick gave a sly smile. "Yes, Finnick. You put a pacifier in your mouth and pretend to be my son. A five year old could do that. Literally."

"Eat me," said Finnick. "I can't believe I've been spending a good percentage of my adult life pretending to be a child."

Nick gestured to the cash he was holding. "Can't argue with results."

"Yeah, yeah," said Finnick. "Anyway, I gotta get going. I'm gonna be late."

Nick's ears perked up. "For what? Do you have a date with a new lady friend?"

"Sort of. I'm on this new site, Z-Harmony."

Nick held in a laugh. "So, the only way you could get girls to love you is online when they can't see your face."

"Shut your..." Finnick paused, then took a deep breath. "Actually, there might be some truth to that. See, the whole point of the site is that it uses your personality to pair you up with some other mammal, without telling you what species they are."

"Huh," said Nick. "This is the first I've heard of this site."

"Well, it's really popular," said Finnick. "I'm talking to this girl, Sophia. And I have no idea what kind of mammal she is, but more importantly, she doesn't know what kind of mammal _I_ am. So, there are no preconceived notions or anything. We're just getting to know each other. And she's a real fun girl to talk to, and on top of all that, she likes me.

Nick had to admit, it sounded pretty sweet to him. But he had to follow it up by asking, "What happens when she finds out you're a pipsqueak."

Finnick's face immediately changed to a scowl. "You know, sometimes I wonder why I hang out with you."

Nick gestured towards the money. Finnick sighed.

"I gotta go," Finnick said, climbing into his van.

"Same time tomorrow?" asked Nick.

"Sure."

And as Nick watched his partner in crime drive off, he thought to himself that this 'Z-Harmony' thing sounded pretty interesting. But after a moment, he shook his head and walked away.

He wasn't interested in having a girlfriend anyway.


	2. Someone To Lean On

Chapter Two: Someone To Lean On

Author's note: Wow, that's a lot of views right out of the gate, thank you. Now, I'm gonna try to update this story as quickly as possible, but I apologize if it takes a while in-between chapters. My life is getting kind of busy right now. And if you ever get bored waiting, by all means, check out "A New Dawn".

I do not own Zootopia.

...

(Friday, April 8th)

The nice thing about parking duty was that Judy could treat it like a game, constantly trying to get as many tickets as possible. Today, she had managed 275 tickets. 'One for each of my siblings', she thought with a smirk.

But thinking of her family only made her wish she was back home. Things were so much simpler back then. She wished she could go back in time and tell her younger self that being a cop in the big city wasn't everything it was cracked up to be.

Judy knew that a good cop was actually supposed to help the citizens of Zootopia.

Heading back to the police station, she noticed Chief Bogo out of the corner of her eye. He was on the phone with someone. At first, Judy thought it best to stay out of his way, but her ears perked up when she heard her name being mentioned.

"Look, regarding Officer Hopps... yes, she still works here.

He walked into another room with his phone. Judy knew she shouldn't be prying, but her curiosity got the better of her. She peered in to the room, watching her boss

"Look, I've only given her the most basic of jobs," the chief said. "And to be fair, she hasn't screwed up yet, but she's been awfully pushy. She's just itching to get out and get out on the field. But it's fairly obvious the only reason the mayor let her in is because it'll make him look better. That ridiculous 'Mammal Inclusive Initiative' thing."

Judy felt rage being built up inside of her. How dare he say such things about her! She graduated at the top of the class, Lionhart's politics didn't have anything to do with that!

...Right?

"Well, I just have a few more things to take care of before I leave for the day. I'll see you tonight."

The chief hung up, and was about to start working when he saw Judy standing at the door. She froze, expecting him to start yelling. She was surprised when he spoke to her in a much softer tone than she was used to.

"I take it you heard all that?"

After a moment, Judy gestured towards her ears. "I hear a lot of things."

The chief sighed. "Hopps, it's nothing personal. It's just..."

Judy interrupted. "Yeah, it's nothing personal. You just think I'm a terrible cop."

Her boss looked like he was going to respond, but he seemed to be at a loss for what to say.

Judy spoke again. "Chief, I have worked hard every single day of my life trying to get others to take me seriously. What more do I have to do? What do you _want_ from me? And if the answer is, 'not a bunny', well, I'm sorry, I can't do anything about that!

The chief looked down at her, appearing genuinely sorry. "Hopps, listen to me. You're a good mammal. I mean that. I just think you could probably make a better life for yourself if you chose a different career path."

After a long pause, Judy looked up, trying to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. "Are you firing me?"

The chief shook his head. "I won't fire you unless I have a good reason."

This made Judy feel slightly better. "Well, I'll try not to give you a reason, then."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." And with that, he took his eyes off of Judy and left the room to go to his office.

...

It was beginning to get dark when Judy got onto the subway, and it was all she could do to keep herself together.

Judy was not a pessimistic mammal by nature, but a month of doing the same thing had taken its toll on her.

Wasn't this what she wanted? To work as a cop in the city of Zootopia, where anybody could be anything? But as it turned out, real life was a little more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker.

She hated her dead end job, and it didn't look like things were gonna get any better. But she couldn't quit, because then all those years of hard work would have been for nothing. She hated her apartment. It was tiny and dirty and the neighbors were extremely annoying.

Her life was awful.

But just as Judy was about to start crying, someone else beat her to it. The subway car had come to a stop, and there was the unmistakable sound of sobbing from someone in the station. Judy turned her head and saw the source of the crying; a female beaver. From the looks of it, she had been mugged. A male beaver, presumably her husband, ran up to her.

"What happened, Charlotte?"

"...He attacked me, Walter... he stole my wallet!"

"Are you hurt?"

"No, not really..."

"Take a deep breath, Charlotte. We'll call the ZPD."

And just as the train doors were closing, Judy heard Walter say, "Everything's going to be all right. I'm here."

Just like that, the door had closed and in a few seconds, the beaver couple weren't even in sight anymore.

Judy found herself wishing that she had done something. But she probably didn't even have the authority to help the beavers, and the more 'qualified' officers, were probably going to help them out in no time at all.

But as Judy got closer to her apartment, she found herself thinking about the husband, and how he had consoled his wife in a time of need. _That_ was what she needed right now. Someone to tell her it would all be okay.

It was then that Judy noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was a large billboard advertising _Z-Harmony_ , the website that Clawhauser had told her about the previous day. The billboard had several pictures of interspecies couples, and the slogan read, " _Sometimes the love of your life is in the last place you look_."

Judy sighed. She didn't come into this city looking for a romance. But in all honesty, she just needed someone to _talk_ to. And if she started talking to someone who didn't know she was a bunny, maybe they would treat her with a little bit more respect.

Besides, it wasn't like she had anything to lose.

...

About an hour earlier, Nick and Finnick had been parting ways.

The day's hustle hadn't gone as well as they had hoped. Sometimes they just didn't get lucky, and mammals were stingy with their money. One hippo in particular had actually recognized that Finnick couldn't be Nick's son because they were two completely different types of foxes. Finnick remarked after the fact that it was a relief to see someone who can tell a fennec apart from a red fox, although he wasn't too happy when he saw the money he had brought in.

Nick grudgingly handed Finnick his share of the cash. "Better luck tomorrow?"

Finnick scoffed. "Hope so," he said, climbing into his van.

"Oh, and tell your online girlfriend I said hi!"

"Will do," Finnick said before driving away.

Nick sighed. The sun was just starting to go down. He was about to turn around and start heading home, when suddenly-

A scream.

Nick whipped his head around and saw a wolf running away. Meanwhile, the scream was coming from the back alley. Nick moved closer to see what was going on. He was startled to see a female beaver lying on the ground, clearly having been mugged.

Nick looked around anxiously. He supposed he could just walk away, but that just didn't feel right. He approached the beaver and attempted to help her up.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked. "Do you want me to..."

"Don't touch me!" she suddenly shouted, standing on her own.

"Mam, I'm not gonna hurt you, I just wanted-"

But she refused to listen. "I have had a very bad day, fox! I don't need you making it worse!"

And with that, she quickly ran away, and Nick could have sworn she was crying.

It didn't surprise him that she refused his help. After all, she had just been attacked by a predator, and most prey mammals tended to lump predators into one category anyway. He wondered why he had even tried to help in the first place. That wasn't like him.

But Nick just shrugged his shoulders and started heading back to his apartment. He wasn't gonna let this get to him. Being a fox, he was used to the prejudice. For over 20 years, his philosophy was that if the world is going to look at you and only see a shifty, untrustworthy fox, there was no point in trying to be anything else.

For most of his life, Nick had been exactly what society expected. A shifty con-fox. But every once in a while, he would try to be a good, kind mammal. And more often than not, it would backfire. Why was the world like that? Nick had been asking that question ever since he was eight years old...

Nick paused, then furiously shook his head. The last thing he needed was to start thinking about _that_ memory.

But as he walked, he started thinking about what Finnick had said. He had a very good memory, so he was able to recall that there was a website called Z-Harmony where mammals could get together without knowing each other's species. This intrigued him for two reasons. One, Nick was 32, and he was feeling that his time to settle down was running out. But also, talking to somebody who's unaware of your species meant no preconceived notions. Just real interaction.

Besides, it wasn't like he had anything to lose.


	3. First Impressions

Chapter Three: First Impressions

Author's Note: There's not a whole lot to add by this point. I'll try to keep these chapters coming.

I do not own Zootopia.

It was already pretty late when Judy got home that night. She decided to change out of her police uniform and into something more casual. Even though she knew that the guy wasn't going to be able to see her. Still, she wanted to feel comfortable.

After changing, she got out her laptop and typed in 'Z-Harmony'. In no time at all, she had found the site and was looking at pictures of happy interspecies couples.

Judy still wasn't 100% sure if she wanted to do this, so she decided to take a look at the Q&A section of the site. She scrolled through some of the questions, trying to get a feel for how this site worked.

 ** _Q: How am I supposed to not talk about what my species is?_**

 _A: There is so much more to a mammal than just what their species is. Species is just what you see on the outside. Ask them about their likes and dislikes. Sometimes you may have to be vague while describing your life to them. Just please try to avoid outright lying to them._

 ** _Q: When is it time to reveal my species?_**

 _A: It depends. You should wait until you feel like you really know them. Some couples like to admit their species during an online discussion, while others like to wait until they meet in person. Do whatever feels right to you._

 ** _Q: Am I guaranteed to end up with someone of a different species?_**

 _A: No. It is entirely possible that two mammals of the same species can be paired up if their profiles match. It's rare, but it does happen._

Feeling a little more confident, Judy took a deep breath. It was now or never.

She went to the sign-up screen. It asked for her gender and which gender she was looking for. After selecting, 'I am a female seeking a male', she typed in her first name and her address. Then it started asking her a bunch of questions about her personality and lifestyle. Judy made sure to be as honest as possible when filling this section out.

The last question asked, 'Just between us, what is your species?'

Judy raised an eyebrow at that, but complied and selected 'Rabbit'.

The screen read 'One moment please...' with a loading symbol. Judy sighed and waited for what she felt was longer than necessary before finally the results came in. There were four matches, but only one of them was currently on Z-Harmony.

Some guy named Nick.

...

'Just between us, what is your species?'

Nick's palms were shaking. Should he lie? No, he was going to be honest. After all, this had to be just for gathering data, because some species make better interspecies couples than others, right?

He selected 'Fox', and after the loading screen, he was looking at five matches. Two of the names, Judy and Winifred, were highlighted as currently being on the site. Nick was going to get out a coin to flip, when he saw the message, 'You have 1 invitation: Judy.'

He clicked on her name. There was no information about Judy. All he knew was her name, her gender, the fact that she lived relatively close to him, and that apparently, Z-Harmony thought they would be a good match. He also saw that there were two options for having conversations, using the keypad or the microphone. He wasn't sure, but when a notification pointed out that Judy would rather use the microphone on her computer, Nick obliged.

'Talk to Judy? Y/N'

Nick took out a deep breath.

He clicked 'Y'.

...

After a moment, both of them were connected.

Nick spoke first, "Hello?"

"Hi," said Judy. "You must be Nick."

"That's right. And I'm guessing you're Judy?"

She smiled. "Look at you, junior detective."

Nick chuckled. "...So, how is this gonna work?"

"Well, I guess we just ask each other questions. What do you want to know about me?"

"Well, the first thing that comes to mind, is 'what kind of mammal are you?' but I think we should play by the site's rules."

"Hmm..." Judy thought for a moment. "So... what color are your eyes?"

"Green." Nick said "Or, as my mom used to say, emerald."

"Emerald. I like it."

"And what about you?"

"Purple."

Nick almost did a double take. "Purple, seriously? I mean, I heard that some mammals have that, but..."

"Yeah, it's rare," said Judy. "But I think it makes me a little bit special."

"I bet it does," said Nick, smiling. "Okay... how old are you? I mean, I know you don't normally ask women that, but given the circumstances..."

"Yeah, I get it. I'm 24."

"24, really? Well, I'm 32."

"Huh..." Judy thought about that for a moment before shrugging. "An 8-year age gap doesn't really mean anything, does it?"

"I don't think so." Nick said. "I've seen plenty of married couples with age gaps."

"Well, here's the thing," Judy explained. "I don't know if I really want to commit to a serious relationship at this point in my life."

"And yet, you're on a dating website."

Judy sighed. "I know, it's just... my life is really hard for me right now, and I just needed someone to talk to. Do you understand that?"

Nick thought about telling her that it was almost the same situation for him. What he said instead was, "Well, let's get to know each other first, and we'll see what happens."

Judy smiled. "Okay, i've got one. What's your favorite movie?"

Nick thought for a moment. "Hmmm... I'd have to say _Pup Fiction_."

"Really?"

He wondered if he turned her off by citing such a violent film as his favorite, so he tried to clarify. "It's not just the violence. I love how clever it is, and that speech at the end always gets to me."

"I agree, it's a great movie."

Nick hadn't been expecting her to say that. He asked, "How about you?"

"Well, I don't know off the top of my head," Judy said. "I'm thinking, maybe _Mad Yax: Fury Road_. I know it's recent, but I really like how fluid and smart the action scenes are, not to mention a strong, tough heroine who restores order to a world of chaos."

Nick smiled. "I'll take it you relate."

"Oh, yes," Judy said. "If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I'm not one of those women that sits around waiting for a man to save her. I'd like to be the one who does the saving."

"Well, I can certainly respect that."

Judy smiled. It was nice to know that somebody respected her, something she hardly ever got in her daily life. After a moment or two, she found herself yawning.

"Whoa," said Nick. "Don't yawn, you'll make me wanna yawn!"

"I'm sorry," said Judy. "I'm just tired. You know what... I have to get up for work early tomorrow, so maybe we should sign off for the night."

"I understand," Nick said, getting tired himself. "Well, it's been great talking to you. Maybe we can chat again tomorrow?"

"You want to?" asked Judy. She didn't know much about online dating, so she wasn't sure if this first chat had been successful or not.

"Of course," said Nick. "Look, you said your life was rough right now. Well, my life isn't exactly a picnic either. Actually, talking to you was the highlight of my day."

"Mine, too."

Nick smiled. "Well, good thing we found each other."

Judy was beaming now. "Yeah, I guess. So, uh... same time tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay, goodbye."

"Goodbye."


	4. Conflicting Careers

Chapter Four: Conflicting Careers

Author's Note: So far, so good. I'm not sure how many chapters I can get in before _A New Dawn_ updates on Saturday. We'll see what happens.

Also, since this story has so many fans, I wanted to talk briefly about what inspired me to write it. Obviously, there have been many fanfics about Judy and Nick's relationship, and I found a couple of stories where the two characters meet in different ways than they did in canon. But one thing that was consistent in all of those stories is that the two of them always had to start out hating each other, which is such an overused cliche. But given the nature of their species as well as their careers, I wondered if it was truly possible for Judy and Nick to meet in a way that didn't involve using that cliche. And that's where the story idea came from.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.

(Saturday, April 9th)

The next morning, it was business as usual in the ZPD. Benjamin Clawhauser was sitting at his desk and was just finishing up breakfast, when Judy entered, looking slightly more upbeat than usual.

"Morning, Judy!" he said with a mouthful of Lucky Chomps, with milk spilling all over his uniform. After a moment or two, he giggled and tried to awkwardly clean himself up.

"Morning, Clawhauser," Judy said, trying not to laugh at the cheetah's predicament.

After swallowing, Clawhauser remarked, "You're in a good mood today. You must have seen Gazelle's new video."

"Ooh, I've been meaning to check that out..." Judy said, before realizing she was getting off topic. "I, uh... I went on Z-Harmony last night."

Clawhauser was silent, his mouth agape for a few moments, before a huge smile appeared on his face. "You're kidding."

"What can i say?" Judy asked, shrugging. You convinced me."

"You gotta tell me everything," he said eagerly.

"Um..." Judy looked at the clock. "I should probably get to roll call, but I promise I'll tell you the details later."

"Oh, sure. Go right ahead," Clawhauser said, as Judy headed into the break room.

...

For Nick Wilde, today had been a pretty good day. They had been doing one of their usual hustles in Sahara Square, when they caught the attention of a lioness. As it turned out, not only was she very wealthy, but she was also extremely naive. The two foxes walked out of there with more than enough money to make up for the previous day's disappointments.

Finnick was practically jumping for joy, which was a sight in itself. "All hail the stupid rich mammals!" he exclaimed.

Nick smiled. "The world could use more of them. It would sure make life easier for us."

Finnick laughed for a few seconds, then he paused, looking somewhat uncertain. "So, uh... do we just go home now?"

"Tell you what, pal," Nick said. "How about we go out for some drinks. My treat."

Finnick gave an especially sly smile. "Man, I knew there was a reason I hung out with you!"

The two of them had found the perfect bar alongside the easternmost side of Sahara Square. It wasn't known for being a particularly nice place, which was why Finnick liked it so much. The shorter fox had insisted on ordering alcohol, and even though Nick didn't typically like to get drunk, he decided that a small amount of alcohol couldn't hurt.

"So tell me," Finnick said. "How's life been treating you, man?"

Nick shrugged. "Can't complain. Actually, last night I went on that site you were telling me about."

"Z-Harmony?" Finnick asked, with a look of disbelief in his eyes. "You don't seem like the romantic type."

"Neither do you."

After a pause, Finnick shrugged and took another gulp of his drink. "Fair point. So, have you been matched with someone?"

"Uh... yeah. Some girl named Judy. She's nice enough, from what I can tell."

"You know," Finnick said, "I've been talking with Sophia for over a week now. I can give you some pointers."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Right, like I'm gonna ask for dating advice from you."

"Hey, don't misjudge me. I'm a ladies man. Just ask Sophia." After a moment or two, Finnick leaned in close. "You know, the other day I let it slip that I've been making my living as a part time crook. And do you know what she said to me? She said, 'Ooh, a bad boy. I love it.'"

Nick stared at his friend, slightly shocked. "Are you serious?"

Finnick gave an especially toothy smile. "Girls dig bad boys."

"She digs bad boys." Nick corrected. "Not all girls do. Judy probably doesn't."

"You never know, dude. You've only had one talk with her."

Nick thought back to his conversation with her. "Well, she did say that her favorite movie was _Mad Yax: Fury Road_. And she seemed to like Pup Fiction."

Finnick laughed. "Dude, she likes bad boys."

"Are you sure?" Nick asked.

"Positive," Finnick said. "Trust me, you tell her that you're a criminal and she's gonna be _all_ over you."

...

Judy was heading home, her mood slightly dampened after a day full of paperwork. But throughout the day, at least she had something to look forward to. She would be chatting with Nick again tonight.

On the one hand, Judy felt almost guilty about how much she was anticipating it. It felt like one of those movies where the girl falls in love with the guy despite knowing next to nothing about him. But Judy had to remind herself that this was not a movie. She wasn't in love, at least not after one night. This whole thing was just a little change of pace.

She found herself thinking, 'Maybe Nick eventually turns out to be the love of my life. Or maybe he turns out to be a really great friend. Or maybe he ends up being a jerk and I was just wasting my time.'

In the end, the only way to know for sure was to keep logging on to Z-Harmony.

...

When Nick arrived home that evening, he went straight to his laptop. And immediately after opening it, he was greeted by the sound of a notification in the upper right corner of the screen.

 **Z-Harmony**

 **Judy** has invited you to chat!

Nick took a few deep breaths. He wasn't sure about the advice Finnick had given him, but he was feeling slightly tipsy and he was willing to give it a try. He logged onto the site. And before he knew it, he had been connected.

"Judy?" he asked.

After a moment, he heard her voice. "Hey there, stranger."

Nick smiled, but was uncertain of how to continue. "So, uh... did you miss me?"

On the other line, Judy was smiling. "You know, I kinda want to say 'no' just to see how you would react, but... yeah. A little bit." Judy thought back to her day at work. "But, if you really want me to be honest, that's mostly because my job is exceptionally boring."

"Wow, exceptionally boring," Nick remarked. "That sounds like an oxymoron right there. What do you do for a living, anyway? Are you just slaving away in some rusty old office from dawn till dusk?"

Judy hesitated before saying, "Something like that." She wondered how she was gonna tell this guy that she was a cop, especially after setting it up like the most boring job in the world.

"Well," said Nick. "You make me glad I don't have to do that."

"Well, what do you do then?" Judy asked, curious.

Nick could feel his heart beating faster, and he didn't know how much of that could be attributed to the drinks he had earlier that day. "...It's sort of complicated."

"Try me."

Nick took a deep breath in. "Judy, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How do you feel about bad boys?"

There was a pause that seemed to go on for an eternity before Judy finally responded, "Bad boys? What do you mean?"

Nick tried to explain it to her in the most basic way possible. "You know, like, the guys you see in the movies, with the leather jacket, cigarette, and motorcycle."

He then realized that his interpretation of a bad boy did not describe himself in any way, shape or form.

"Well," Judy said, "I like the motorcycle part."

"I don't have a motorcycle," Nick sheepishly admitted. "Or any of that stuff, really."

Judy started laughing. "So basically, what you're saying is, 'do you like bad boys? No? Good, because I'm not one!'"

"No, that's uh... that's not what I meant to say." Nick was beginning to wonder just how much the alcohol was affecting him.

But on the other end, Judy was laughing. After a moment or two, she calmed down and said, "Nick, from what I've seen so far, you are not a bad boy."

"But you don't know me," Nick said, and he was slowly starting to realize that he sounded less like an effortlessly cool guy and more like a total wimp trying to convince someone that he was cool. And on top of that, Judy didn't even sound like she was into the whole 'bad boy' thing.

Stupid Finnick. Stupid alcohol.

After a few deep breaths, Nick said, "Let me try this again. First of all, I had a few drinks earlier today. I don't normally drink but today was a special occasion. Second, you asked me what I did for a living . And when you get right down to it... I'm a salesman, I sell various items at various venues. And... every once in a while, I bend the rules a little bit. So when I said I was a bad boy, I don't know, I guess..."

"Wait," Judy's voice had suddenly become deathly serious. "You haven't actually broken the law, have you?"

"What, no!" Nick clarified. Sure, his hustles were sketchy, but he prided himself in the fact that he had never gotten arrested because he technically never broke any laws.

Judy sighed. "That's a relief."

Nick was feeling a bit relieved himself. He chuckled. "Boy, you really don't like bad boys."

"It's not just that," said Judy. "The simple fact is, I can't be in a serious relationship with someone who's broken the law."

"And why is that?"

Judy took a deep breath. "Because I'm a cop."

Nick almost fainted right there on the spot.


	5. A Risky Relationship

Chapter Five: A Risky Relationship

Author's Note: This might be the last chapter update before _A New Dawn_ comes back. I'm really curious to see how that chapter performs, seeing how I've gained a number of fans this past week by republishing Z-Harmony.

Anyway, back to the story.

I do not own Zootopia.

...

(Sunday, April 10th)

Finnick was laughing hard enough to make a hyena jealous.

Nick rolled his eyes. "It's not that funny!"

"Not that funny?" asked Finnick in between spurts of laughter. "Nick Wilde, you are _dating a cop!_ "

Nick gave his friend a stern glare. "First of all, I barely know her. Second of all, this is serious, okay? And you know what? Maybe I wouldn't be in such a sticky situation if you hadn't told me to advertise myself as the poster boy for crime!"

Finnick stopped laughing. "Don't go blaming this on me! How was I supposed to know?"

Nick threw his arms up. "Well, now we're both totally screwed."

"You mean _you're_ screwed," said Finnick. "Unless you told her that you were in cahoots with me. Which you didn't, did you?

"No," grumbled Nick. "But I should have."

"So, how much did you actually tell her?" asked Finnick.

"Thankfully, not much," said Nick. "Just that I bend the rules every now and then. She asked if I had broken any laws, and I said no. Which is the truth."

"So, you're in the clear," Finnick said. "You know what, we're gonna be late for the hustle."

Nick looked at his phone and nodded his head. "Okay, but not one word from inside that elephant costume, okay?"

Finnick shrugged. "It's gonna be harder than usual, man."

...

Judy wasn't sure how to feel about Nick.

She'd been mulling it over for most of the day, while she was supposed to be writing tickets. (She had gotten 124 so far, well below her usual amount.) By all indication, Nick seemed like a good guy. He was charming, polite, had a good sense of humor, but he could be serious if the occasion called for it. Even when he had called himself a 'bad boy', Judy hadn't really thought anything of it. It just sounded like he was trying to make himself sound cool to impress her.

But when Judy had told him that she was a cop, his demeanor changed. Sure, he acted like everything was all right, but she could tell in his voice that he was extremely nervous. He also seemed to want to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible.

'It was probably just the alcohol,' Judy told herself. 'Yeah, he just got nervous when he found out he was talking to a cop while completely drunk.' That made sense.

She would talk to him tonight while he was sober and get the whole thing straightened out.

...

Nick had never been more on edge during a con.

The hustle itself was a relatively simple one. They were supposed to buy a large wooden train meant for elephant children, then chop it up into small pieces and sell it as lumber in Little Rodentia. But as Nick went into the store and pleaded to the owner, he kept imagining what would happen if Judy were to suddenly walk in on them. He didn't know her species, but he could imagine a pair of angry purple eyes, and he could practically hear her voice.

"So this is the real you, Nick." the voice would say. "A shifty, criminal _fox_." I can't believe you almost tricked me into falling for you."

Fortunately, the hustle went according to plan, with no cop of any species turning up to give the two of them a bad time. And at the end of the day, the counted their money and were about to go their separate ways, when Nick spoke up.

"What am I gonna do now?" he asked.

Finnick laughed. "Don't go asking me! I'm done with giving advice."

Nick thought for a moment before asking, "If Sophia told you she was a cop, what would you do?"

"First of all, Sophia is not a cop," said Finnick. "Second, what you gotta do is real simple. Just don't talk to her anymore."

"I can't just ditch her," argued Nick.

"Why not?"

"She'll get suspicious."

"Who cares?" asked Finnick. "She knows nothing about you, there's no way she could track you down. And even if she did, you'd just tell her the same thing you tell all the cops. You haven't been breaking any laws."

"It's not just that..." Nick hesitated. "I... I'm just worried about how she's gonna feel if I just stop talking to her."

Finnick stared at his friend, stunned. "Nick, don't tell me you've grown to care for her after a whopping two conversations."

"Finnick..."

"No, you listen to me. If you really want to talk to her tonight, just tell her you can't be with a cop. Make up some sob story about how a cop killed your brother or something, I really don't care. But if you keep on chatting with her, everything you've been working towards for the past twenty years is all going to fall apart spectacularly. And I'll be there to say I told you so."

And on that note, Finnick climbed up into his van and drove away.

Nick stood there for a long time, lost in thought. The advice made sense to him. He should just end the relationship tonight. And yet, there was a part of him that didn't want to cut off all ties with Judy.

'Why is this so difficult?' Nick thought to himself. You've made up sob stories before. You've deceived hundreds of mammals, why should this be any different?'

But as he pondered, the answer hit him like a ton of bricks; Judy was different because when they had spoken together, Nick had been entirely honest with her. He couldn't remember lying to her once during either of their conversations. And not only had he been truthful to her, but Judy had accepted him for who he was, without knowing that he was a fox.

'That's just the way the site works,' thought Nick. 'I'll just end it with her and meet someone else. Someone who isn't a cop.'

But he had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy.

...

Nick arrived at his apartment and took a deep breath. He sat down and opened up his laptop, silently wishing there would be no notifications from Z-Harmony. Unfortunately, today was not his lucky day.

 **Z-Harmony**

 **Judy** has invited you to chat!

Such innocent words. But those words could mean the end of him if he wasn't careful.

After mulling it over for a minute in his head, Nick mustered up the courage and signed on to the site. Within the span of a few seconds, he and Judy were connected for their third official conversation.

For a moment, Nick didn't say anything. He tried to calm down his nerves. He had to appear calm and collected.

Judy spoke first. "...Nick, are you there?"

He took a deep breath. "Yeah. Sorry about the pause. Connection must be bad." He tapped the side of his laptop. "There, fixed."

His first real lie. At least Judy seemed to buy it.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. "You're not drunk again, are you?"

"No," said Nick, shaking a bit. "After last night, I may never drink again."

"That's good to hear," Judy said. "I mean, I hardly ever drink, so now that makes two of us."

Nick thought about that for a moment. "You know, Judy, you're kind of hard to get a read on."

"What do you mean?"

"On the one paw, you go on a dating website because you're feeling lonely, and you're not a social drinker. But on the other paw, you're a cop who likes violent movies."

"I guess I'm complex," Judy said, shrugging. "By the way, why did you get so jittery last night when I told you I was a cop?"

Nick tried to ignore how fast his heart was beating. "Well, it just wasn't what I was expecting."

"And the alcohol..."

"Yes, that may have had something to do with it," said Nick. He was grateful that the alcohol had given him an excuse for what he said the previous night.

"Okay," said Judy. "And just to clarify, you don't actually have a criminal record, do you?"

"No." Nick smiled in the knowledge that he was technically being honest. He had never actually been charged with a crime, this, he did not have a criminal record.

"Good," said Judy.

But there was something that Nick was curious about. "You know, it's funny. I distinctly remember you saying that you had a boring job."

Judy hesitated. She wasn't looking forward to talking about her job, but she didn't really have much of a choice. "See the thing about that is... I just started working for the ZPD a month ago. So, I haven't been assigned to any real cases yet. Just paperwork and parking duty."

Now, Nick didn't really know a lot about how the police officer job worked. (He'd spent a good portion of the last 20 years _avoiding_ cops, after all.) But even he had to admit, it sounded like Judy was getting the short end of the stick. "So, in other words, you're a meter maid."

Judy let out a very long sigh. "Yes, you could say that. But I have my badge. I _earned_ that badge. I graduated valedictorian of my class, damn it!" She immediately put her paw over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I don't normally curse. It's just..."

"No, I get it." Nick said. "It's slow right now. I'm sure it'll pick up. A month from now, you'll be arresting all the murderers and drug lords you can shake a stick at."

Judy chuckled. "Thanks. I needed that."

The smile on Nick's face began to dim when he started thinking about what Finnick had said. He should probably try to end the relationship now, before things could get too out of hand.

But he wanted to ask her one more question.

"So... what was police academy like?"

"It was unbelievably difficult," said Judy. "Learning all the regulations was one thing, but I also had to put my body through H-E-double hockey sticks. I had to build up an insane amount of muscle. But in the end, I was able to beat a freaking rhino in a boxing match, as well as a cheetah in a foot race."

"Damn," said Nick. "And now you don't even get to use that muscle, huh?"

"Well, I try to stay fit by going to the jogging track before work. Unfortunately, that means waking up at 5:30 every day."

"5:30?!" Nick said, stunned. "Okay, you are seriously incredible. You know that, right?"

"Thank you," said Judy. Then she paused, a coy smile on her face. "Unless you say that to every girl you meet."

"Don't try to make this a flirting thing," said Nick. "I've never met anyone like you, regardless of gender or species. Judy, you are just plain badass."

Judy was glad Nick couldn't see her blushing. "Well, _you_ are just plain charming. And sweet. And overall, I'm really glad I met you."

"Me, too," said Nick. He was smiling in spite of himself.

After a moment or two, Judy looked up at the time. "Ooh, it's getting kind of late."

"Should we call it a night?" asked Nick.

"I guess so," said Judy. So, I'll talk to you again tomorrow, then?"

"...Wait."

"What?"

Nick's palms were starting to sweat. He could just imagine Finnick standing next to him, saying "Do it. Do it now. Say you can't be with a cop."

"I just wanted to say good luck. With your job and everything."

"Aww, thanks," said Judy. "Okay, good night."

"Good night."

Judy signed off. Nick looked up at the sky, pleading for a God that probably wasn't listening.

The fact was, Judy was amazing. She was strong and confident, but she was also funny and had a great outlook on life. She was everything Nick could want in a girlfriend, or even a friend in general. But she was also a cop. And if he wasn't careful in his conversations with her, she could cause him a lot more trouble than your typical angry ex.

But for the time being, he liked talking to her. And he knew that she liked him. So, he couldn't end things now. He couldn't break her heart.

And even if he did, she would probably track him down and break his arm.


	6. Ignorance Is Bliss

Chapter Six: Ignorance Is Bliss

Author's Note: So, in order to make this story work, I had to make it so the NightHowler crisis never happened, so I avoided any mention of Dawn Bellwether. Now that I'm writing another story with her as the central character, some of you might be curious about where she is in this story. My unofficial answer is that she herself was convinced to go on Z-Harmony, and she ended up rethinking her plan after she was paired up with Gideon. (Those two are soulmates and I will make them get together in every AU.)

With that said, back to the story.

...

(Monday, April 11th)

It was the middle of the day, and Judy was on her lunch break. She had been munching on some store-bought carrot sticks (that weren't quite as good as the ones back home,) when Clawhauser had come in and sat down opposite her. And of course, he wanted to hear about Judy's new kind-of-boyfriend.

"So, what's his job?" he asked.

"He's a salesman," said Judy. "He was kinda vague on the details, though."

"Do you know anything else about him?" asked Clawhauser.

"Just that he doesn't have a criminal record."

"That's always a plus!" said Clawhauser. "But you should probably find out more. Ask him about his hobbies or something."

Judy looked thoughtful. "I'll keep that in mind." At that moment, the bell rang. Both mammals sighed.

"Back to work," said Clawhauser.

"More like _paperwork_ ," Judy said, angrily. "Which is like work except it's not real work because it's all on stupid _paper_!"

"You should really talk to the chief," Clawhauser said. "He can't keep you with the basic stuff for too much longer, right?"

Judy sighed. "I talked to him a while ago, and he didn't seem too angry. But I don't want to risk it."

"Maybe I'll ask for you?"

Judy's ears drooped. "I don't want you to get in trouble."

But Clawhauser shrugged. The chief and I have known each other for a long time. He might listen to me."

"Okay," said Judy. "If you're sure."

Then she started heading back to her desk.

...

"Here's your cut," Nick softly said, handing over Finnick's share of their earnings. Finnick gave a quizzical eyebrow when he accepted the money.

"is something wrong?" asked Finnick. "You've been acting kinda quiet today."

"I don't know... I guess I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"It's about that girl, isn't it?"

Nick turned to face his friend. "How do you know?"

"With guys like us, it's always about a girl," He let out a slight laugh before turning to Nick and saying, "You ended things with her last night, didn't you?"

Nick paused before quickly saying, "Yes, of course I did."

"You did the right thing," Finnick said. "Look, I know you feel bad about Jodie..."

"Judy."

"Whatever, man," said Finnick. "The point is, it's over. You're not dating a cop anymore. And in a few years, this'll be one of those stories we laugh about."

Nick mumbled, "You're gonna laugh about it today, aren't you?"

Finnick chuckled. "You know me so well, man. Anyway, ciao for now!"

And with that, he climbed into his truck.

...

Judy was in a bit of a grumpy mood when she got to her apartment. She hadn't heard back from either Clawhauser or Bogo, and she was paranoid about what might happen at work the next day.

Hopefully, talking to Nick would help her end the day on a brighter note.

She went onto her laptop and logged onto Z-Harmony. Subconsciously, she wondered why she always had to be the one to invite Nick over to chat. But she shrugged and invited him anyway. She could think about that some other time.

Nick spoke first. "Hey, Judy."

"Hey, Nick. It's good to hear your voice again."

"Really?" Nick asked, with a bit of a smirk. "It's not every day that a girl tells me she loves my voice?"

"Oh, har har," she said, with very little enthusiasm.

"You sound kinda tired," said Nick. "You feeling all right?"

"It's just my job," Judy said with a sigh. "I've wanted to be a police officer since I was a kid, and now it's happened and I just spent all of today filing out paperwork."

"Not exactly living the dream."

"Not even close," said Judy. Then she forced herself to perk up a bit. "But enough about me. I'd like to know more about you."

Nick could feel the fur on his back standing on end. "There's really not that much to say."

"Well, yesterday we talked about _me_ a lot," Judy said. "I think it's only fair that we talk about _you_ tonight."

Nick's eyes darted around as he tried to think of a good topic. "Uh, I can tell you that I've lived in Zootopia all my life."

"Really," Judy said, interested. "I just moved here and I'm still not 100% used to it."

Nick's ears perked up. "So you're a small town girl who moved to the big city to become a cop?"

Judy shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Maybe the reason you haven't been assigned to any cases is because you don't know the city well enough."

"That might be a factor," Judy said, wondering why the thought had never occurred to her before. "My next day off is this Sunday, I should look into..." She paused. "We're getting off topic. It's so typical of me to talk about myself, I'm sorry."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a song lyric?"

"Maybe..." Judy said, giggling a bit.

"Well, anyway..." Nick said, "I can't imagine my life story is as exciting as yours."

"Come on," said Judy, eagerly. "Tell me something about yourself. Anything."

"Well, uh..." Nick hesitated before saying, "I didn't have a lot of money growing up."

"Oh no, I'm sorry." Judy's ears drooped before she started to feel slightly curious. "How did you live? What was your family like?"

Nick was getting uncomfortable with all these questions. "I really don't wanna talk about my family right now," he said.

"Why not?"

Nick took a deep breath. "Judy, if there's one thing that's abundantly clear to me, it's that you're an extrovert and I'm an introvert. You like talking about yourself, and I don't."

"Well," said Judy. "I don't want this relationship to feel one-sided."

"I understand that, it's just..." Nick sighed, trying to find the right words. "I don't really talk about my personal life. I'm not used to it."

"Okay," Judy said. "I can respect that. But if you ever want to talk, I'm all ears."

Judy found herself gesturing to her ears on instinct, then she chuckled.

"What's so funny?" asked Nick.

"Nothing, nothing." Then she had a thought. "But let me ask you this... why did you sign up for Z-Harmony?"

Nick paused. The question was reasonable enough. After a few moments, he said, "Well, I guess it was for two reasons. One, because I'm 32 and I've never been in a serious relationship. I'm a bit of a late bloomer in that regard."

"And two?" Judy inquired.

Nick thought for a moment. "The thing that a lot of mammals don't realize is that no matter what your species is, you're going to be judged for it. You're gonna be judged a predator or a prey mammal, for being too big or too small, for being associated with one negative stereotype or another..." He paused, looking for the right words. "I guess I signed on because I was tired of being judged."

Judy found herself thinking back to various moments throughout her life, every time someone had told her that she couldn't be a cop because she was a _bunny_ , plain and simple. There were nights where she found herself wishing she could be something else.

"I know what that feels like," she said, lost in thought.

"When you're on this site, you don't have to be judged. It feels nice, doesn't it?" Nick said, smiling.

"Yeah", Judy said with a sigh. "But sooner or later we're gonna have to tell each other what kind of mammal we are. "When is the right time for that?"

"There are no rules," said Nick. "Heck, we could tell each other right now if we wanted to."

"...I don't think I'm ready for that," Judy said.

"Me neither," Nick said, grateful that she hadn't taken the opportunity to admit her species. He hadn't really meant it.

After a moment, Nick looked at the time. "Wow, it's getting late."

"All right," Judy said. "That's a good place to end for tonight."

"Uh, so I'll talk to you tomorrow?" Nick asked.

"Definitely." Judy said. "Okay, bye."

"Bye."

As Nick signed off, Judy found herself thinking about him. He had been very vague about his past, but it was clear that he had not led an easy life. She briefly wondered what his species was, before shaking her head furiously. That didn't matter now.

What mattered was that Nick needed someone.

And Judy intended to be that someone.


	7. Bending The Rules

Chapter Seven: Bending The Rules

Author's Note: I just want to take this moment to say, thank you so much for your support. A lot of people are responding very well to both this story and _A New Dawn_. I apologize if I'm less productive in the next few days, because the Oscar nominations are coming up, and I'm probably gonna be doing a lot of angry tweeting about that.

Also, this should probably go without saying, but please let me know if you see any typos in this story.

I do not own Zootopia.

...

(Tuesday, April 12th)

It was morning at the ZPD Headquarters, and Chief Bogo was listing off a series of assignments.

"Delgato, Rhinowitz, Wolford... I need you three to look into a murder case in the Rainforest District... Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, McHorn... you'll be investigating a series of robberies in Savannah Central... Higgins, Trunkaby... Supposed drug dealings in Tundratown. And as for Officer Hopps..."

He paused long enough to give Judy a feeling of hope, before bringing her right back down to earth with the words, "Parking duty. Dismissed."

As the other officers headed out of the room, Judy stood still, mouth agape, before getting out of her chair.

After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up. "Sir, did Clawhauser speak with you earlier?"

Bogo stopped what he was doing and looked down at her. "As a matter of fact, he did. He didn't change my mind."

"But, sir-" she began, only to have her boss cut her off.

"Just because Clawhauser and myself have known each other for a while, that doesn't mean he can tell me what to do. Especially regarding other officers." He snorted and turned away, convinced that the conversation was over.

But Judy was tired of waiting, and this morning she felt like anger was about to spill over.

"Sir, what do you want me to do?" she begged. "I've been working here for a month... I do everything you ask of me, day after day..."

The chief turned to her, with a stern look on his face. "Hopps, you are testing my patience."

"Funny that," she spat back. "You're testing mine."

The room was silent. Judy's ears drooped as she realized she had said the wrong thing. "I am so sorry, sir. I..."

But her boss pounded his fist on the desk. "You do not have the authority to speak to me like that. You are assigned to parking duty and I'm not going to hear any more complaining. And I am going to give you a very stern warning; If I see even the slightest hint of insubordination from you, you're fired. Understand?"

"...Yes, chief."

"Now get out."

Judy obliged.

...

All day, Nick had been doing a lot of thinking.

Ever since he was twelve, he had been hustling mammals out of money, taking pride in the knowledge that he was technically not breaking the law. But all the talking with Judy had gotten him thinking: If he never actually broke the law, then how much of a criminal was he? Where was one supposed to draw the line between maneuvering around the rules and just obeying the law?

But he was still a con-mammal. He went around proclaiming that Finnick was his son. He was lying. And he did this every day. Maybe he wasn't a serious criminal, but by all intents and purposes, he wasn't a good mammal.

'If God wanted me to be a good mammal,' Nick thought to himself, 'I wouldn't have been born a fox.'

The reason he was thinking all of this was because he was trying to evaluate his future. Sure, his conversations with Judy were going fine for now. But eventually, she would want to meet face to face. And where would the relationship go from there? If Nick was still conning mammals out of money seven days a week, Judy probably wouldn't take it very well.

Nick tried to shake those thoughts out of his head.

...

Judy was incredibly peeved when she got to her apartment that night. She was hoping that Clawhauser could help her move up in her career. She was wrong, and now her job was on the line.

If only she hadn't opened her big fat mouth.

She got on her computer and logged onto Z-Harmony. While she waited for the site to load (the WiFi was being fairly uncooperative today,) she found herself thinking about how her life had come to this point.

'I've been fighting for this all my life,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe it would have been better if I had just stayed in Bunnyburrow...' then she shook her head vigorously. She couldn't think like that. She was Judy Hopps, first rabbit in the ZPD and she had the badge to prove it! She _wouldn't_ give up. She _refused_.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the notification. 'Nick has invited you to chat!' Judy sighed, but gave a slight smile at the fact that Nick was the one taking initiative this time. She clicked on 'Yes.'

Nick spoke first, "Judy?"

"Hey, Nick."

"Is something wrong?" Nick asked. "You sound weary."

Judy took a deep breath. "I almost lost my job today."

"What happened?" Nick asked, concerned.

Judy hesitated. "I... may have gotten a little angry with my boss."

Nick's ears perked up. This ought to be good. "What did you say?"

"I was upset with him for not giving me anything to do, he said, you're testing my patience' and I said, 'you're testing mine.'

Nick's reaction was not what Judy was expecting; he started laughing.

"Stop that," Judy exclaimed. "It's not funny!"

"Actually, that is _quite_ funny," said Nick. "I wish I had been there to see that."

Judy snapped. "Well, I'll do it again if you want me out of a job!"

Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, before Nick broke the silence. "I'm sorry. I just thought it was a witty thing to say..."

"Well, it wasn't." Judy said, trying to keep her temper under control. "It was stupid."

"So... witty and stupid, then?"

"Yeah," said Judy. "Kind of like you."

Nick shook his head, but smiled. "I will take half of that as a compliment."

Judy took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Nick shrugged. "No, by all means. Go ahead and yell, I can take it."

"You can take it, huh?" Judy asked, raising an eyebrow. "How are you always so casual about everything?"

"You really wanna know?"

"Of course."

"The way I see it," Nick said, "All throughout your life, you're gonna be discriminated against, and it's gonna suck. But no matter what, never let them see that they get to you. That's my philosophy."

After a moment or two, Judy slowly nodded her head. "Good philosophy. Maybe I should be more like you."

Nick gave a sly smile. "I wouldn't advise that."

Judy chuckled. "And why do you say that, Nick?"

"Because you're a cop." Nick said, simply. "And me... I'm an absolute mess."

"Don't say those things about yourself, Nick. That's not who you are."

But Nick shook his head. "You hardly know anything about me."

"I would if you told me," Judy countered.

"Well, what do you want me to talk about?" Nick asked.

Judy pondered the question before asking. "How about your job? I know you're a salesman, but I don't know that much else. Just that you 'bend the rules' from time to time. I'm not even sure what you mean by that.

Nick shrugged. "Rules are like rubber bands. You can bend them as much as you want, everything's fine until you break them."

"As a cop, I'm not sure how to respond to that."

This was a tricky subject. While Nick didn't want to give Judy too much information, he did like her enough that he felt it was only fair if he wanted to keep the relationship going. He just needed to be very careful with his wording. "All it means is I'm a little unorthodox. I mean, haven't you ever bent the rules just a little bit to further your own agenda?"

Judy thought back to her time in police academy. She had literally jumped on top of fellow recruits in order to get ahead, and she was pretty sure there was nothing in the rulebook about that. "...Um, I guess you could say that."

"See? That doesn't make you a criminal, does it?"

Judy gave a coy smile. "Maybe you can describe what you do with a little more detail, and let me be the judge of that."

"So, you want me tell a cop how I bend the rules in my daily life," Nick said, plainly.

Judy laughed. "I'm not going to arrest you, if that's what you're worried about."

Nick was internally debating how much he should tell her. The smart move would be to shy away from any details. Because Nick had been wondering about the technicalities of his shady past, he felt there was no real harm in giving Judy a little more information.

"So, let me tell you about this... business transaction I made about a month ago," Nick began. "So... I go into Jumbeaux's Cafe, and I buy an elephant-sized pawpsicle. Then I melt it down and make a bunch of smaller pawpsicles out of the large one. Then I sell it to a smaller demographic." He decided to stop before going into too much more detail.

"Hmmm." Judy thought aloud. "Do you have your permit to sell the pawpsicles?"

"Of course," said Nick. "And also, I had my receipt of declared commerce, in case you were wondering."

To Judy, the whole thing sounded fairly legit. "How much money did you make?"

"$200," Nick said, proudly. "And I make roughly that same amount every day."

"Not bad," she said, with a smile on her face. "And assuming you reported your earnings on your tax returns, that puts you in the clear."

"Excuse me?"

"You reported your earnings on your tax returns, right?"

Nick's mind froze up for a second before he pulled himself together and said, "Yes!"

"So, as far as I can tell, there's nothing I can arrest you for," Judy said, teasingly.

"Yep, that's... that's good to know."

But Judy caught a hint of nervousness coming from him. "Nick, is something wrong?"

Nick quickly tried to think of an excuse. "I'm just keeping an eye on the clock, that's all."

"Oh," said Judy. "Yeah, it is getting late. Should we call it a night?"

"Sure," said Nick, doing his best to play it cool.

"Okay, then," Judy said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

...

As Nick signed off, he felt a shiver run down his spine. If Judy looked trough his taxes, she could have enough evidence to send him to prison. But as frightened as he was, there was one particular detail that he couldn't stop thinking about.

Nick had been doing hustles for the majority of his life. He had been questioned by cops more times than he could count. And yet, this was the first time any officer had managed to pick up on the tax evasion. And this officer was still stuck in paperwork and parking duty? And she was in danger of losing her job?

A part of him thought that maybe it would be a good thing if she lost her job. If Judy were a _former_ cop, it would make things a whole lot easier. But the fact was, Nick felt awful for even thinking that. He cared about Judy. He wanted her to succeed. But, in a bizarre twist, her succeeding could potentially lead to his own downfall.

A funny thought occurred to Nick. He had not gone on Furbook in a very long time, but he thought he might do it tonight, just for the sheer irony of changing his relationship status of 'It's Complicated.'

...

Judy Hopps wasn't stupid.

She knew that Nick had seemed awfully nervous when she brought up his taxes. It was that same tone of voice he had when she revealed she was a cop. The first time, she had written it off as a side effect of the alcohol. But now, she wasn't so sure.

But what surprised Judy the most wasn't that her new online boyfriend might have a criminal record.

It was the fact that she was willing to take that chance.


	8. In Too Deep

Chapter Eight: In Too Deep

Author's Note: So, the Oscar nominations were this morning. Don't worry, I'm not gonna bore you with details or long rants, because that's not really relevant.

(HOW DARE THE ACADEMY NOT NOMINATE COCO FOR BEST PICTURE THAT WAS THE BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR I SAW IT THREE TIMES AND I BAWLED MY EYES OUT EVERY TIME!)

Anyway, I want you all to know I'm very grateful for all the love my stories have been receiving. Here's another chapter, ready to go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.

...

(Wednesday, April 13th)

For Judy, today had been another uneventful day of paperwork. All day, she had kept her mouth shut and did what she was told - something she was okay with doing for a day, but not for a lifetime.

The odd thing was that a number of other officers told her they admired her comeback to Bogo. Judy supposed it was good to be recognized, but not for the thing that almost got her fired.

At this point, the main thing keeping her going was her relationship with Nick, but even that was far from perfect. After their last conversation, she had started to question the validity of his job, but she had no proof that he had done anything wrong. She supposed she could search for his taxes and confirm her suspicions. But she was reluctant to do so for three reasons.

One, she didn't know his last name or species, so he would be difficult to track down.

Two, she imagined how it would make her look, walking into Bogo's office and saying, 'I'd like to arrest my online ex-boyfriend.' The last thing she needed was a reason for the chief to treat her any less seriously.

But the final reason was the selfish one; Judy cared about Nick. She saw good in him, and he saw her for who she was.

The simple fact was, Judy couldn't bring herself to arrest the one mammal that made her life bearable.

...

Finnick had been awfully quiet during today's hustle.

Nick had noticed this, but was reluctant to bring it up. If anything, he was content with some quiet. It gave him more time to think.

He was telling himself on repeat that today was going to be _fine_. Today's hustle was no different than the hundreds that came before it. But it seemed like every time Nick had a conversation with Judy, his conscience grew more and more. After twenty years, he was finally starting to question whether or not he was doing the right thing.

After they had collected their money, Nick decided he wanted to have a little talk with his partner.

"Finnick..." Nick began slowly. "Would you ever want to get out of that elephant costume?"

Finnick turned to face his partner. "I'm listening."

Nick put his hand behind his back in an awkward position. "Well, I'm just thinking... who says we have to go into all these places with you dressed up like that? I mean, I know you hate it. Maybe one day... we could try walking into a place and saying, "One elephant-sized pawpsicle. It's uh... it's for a friend. Something like that."

"They won't believe us," Finnick said. "Come on, Nick, you always said that the 'kid' angle makes gullible mammals feel generous.'

Nick sighed. "I know that's what I said, but... I mean, is there any reason why we can't be upfront with what we're doing, and just say we're entrepreneurs?"

"What?"

"I mean, we have all the permits anyway. Why not just go all the way with it?"

Finnick gave his friend a blank stare. "Nick, what are you talking about? We're _con-mammals_. That's what we do."

"I know that's what we do," Nick said, frustrated. "I just..."

"You just what?"

"...I don't know." He turned away, lost in thought.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. But eventually Finnick spoke up, softly at first, "Nick, you... you dumped that cop lady right?" He paused before repeating, " _Right?_ "

Nick looked into his friend's eyes. "Finnick..."

"Oh my God."

"I can explain..." Nick said, quickly.

But Finnick still couldn't believe it. "Oh my God. You're still seeing her." He started pacing back and forth. "You know, this is what happens to you. This is what happens to you. This is what happens when you get involved with the fuzz!" For as angry as he was, he also sounded genuinely hurt.

"It's not like that, okay." Nick said, trying not to get too emotional.

"Does she know?" Finnick asked, spitefully. "Does she know what it is you do for a living?"

Nick hesitated. "Kind of..."

" _Kind of?_ " Finnick repeated the words in disbelief. "So, are you going to prison now?"

"No," Nick said, firmly. "At least... not if I'm able to get my life back in order."

Finnick was in disbelief. "Nick, we've been con-artists since we met. We can't change that now! You're in too deep to start your life over again!"

"But you don't understand... Judy says there's good in me," He took a deep breath, trying to hold himself together. " _...What if she's right?_ "

But Finnick just frowned. "Nick, you are starting to sound like one of those crazy mammals that they lock up in the loony bin!" he exclaimed. "You've come too far to get locked up now. We both have."

Nick sat down, trying to keep himself together. "I don't know Finnick," he said honestly. "I just don't know what to tell you."

"I know what to tell you," Finnick said plainly. "Love makes you do crazy things, and you're living proof of that."

Nick shut his eyes, firmly in denial. "I am not in love with her."

"Bullshit," Finnick said. "You're in love and you don't even know what she looks like."

"Oh," Nick snapped. "Like you and Sophia."

Finnick looked stunned before saying, "I'm not with Sophia anymore."

Nick instantly felt bad. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry." Finnick said, flippantly. "We were talking the other day, I asked her what she looked for in a man, and the first word out of her mouth was _tall_." He grimaced, as though he had just uttered a horrible slur. "I immediately signed off. Didn't even give her an excuse. See, Nick... the difference between the two of us is that I know when to give up on a relationship.

Nick stayed silent. After a minute or two, Finnick spoke again.

"You know, I don't know if you've realized this or not," he said, "but there ain't no foxes in the ZPD. Which means that girl of yours... she's not a fox. And if she's anything like most cops, she's probably got a rather unfavorable view of our kind." He stared at his lifelong partner in crime, making sure that every word hit like a dagger. "You think she's your friend? Just wait 'til she sees the real you. I guarantee that she'll arrest you on the spot."

"Judy's not like that," Nick said, firmly.

"Don't tell me what a cop is like!" Finnick said, angrily. "I've had my share of run ins with them. You want to fall in love with an armed police officer? They've got a word for that, it's called suicide! After everything we've done, year after year, do you really want to throw it all away?" He paused, and then gritted his teeth. "Go right ahead. But you are not dragging me down there with you." After a moment or two, he turned away from his partner.

"Listen..." Nick began.

"Just go!" Finnick yelled. "I don't wanna see your stupid face tomorrow, you better not call me unless you have a goddamned good reason to!"

Then he stopped, turned around, and grabbed the cash out of Nick's hands. "And for the record, I am keeping all of this money."

And he promptly got into his van and drove away as fast as he could.

...

The sun had gone down by the time Nick had gotten home. In short, he felt awful, in more ways than one. For starters, he was starting to feel a cold coming on. (The fact that the last few hustles were mainly set up in TundraTown probably had something to do with that.) But moreover, he felt bad for Finnick. The future of their partnership looked bleak.

And the fact that he was down $200 didn't help either.

He went online and logged onto Z-Harmony, sending Judy an invitation. In all honesty, he was surprised by the fact that Judy had been available to talk for five consecutive days, albeit for a fairly short period of time. And now it was going to be six.

In no time at all, the two of them were connected.

Judy spoke first. "...Nick?"

"Hey, Judy," Nick said. "How was work?"

"Um, I didn't get fired."

"Good to hear."

"What about you?"

Nick was about to jokingly respond that he hadn't been fired either, but if Finnick was still angry at him in the morning, there was a chance he might be out of a job for a while. "Eh... Same old, same old."

"Don't you get tired of the same old thing after a while?"

"I guess I've always found a way to make it exciting."

"Well, you don't spend every other day in an office cubicle."

"Yes, and I'm very grateful for that," said Nick.

Judy smiled, but there was a hint of sadness. "You know, I've wanted to be a cop for as long as I can remember. Now, I'm started to question if it was worth it."

"I'm sure things will pick up soon enough," Nick said.

"And what if they don't?" She asked, bitterly. "It's just... I've worked so hard for this. No one thought I would even make it this far."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm..." She stopped, catching herself mid-sentence. "Because I grew up in a small town."

But Nick immediately picked up on her hesitance. "It has something to do with your species isn't it?"

Judy's ears fell. "How did you..."

"Everyone comes to Zootopia thinking that they can be anything they want. Well, you can't. Your species is always going to hold you back one way or another."

Judy thought about this for a moment. "You know," she said, "How much longer do you think it's gonna be before we tell each other our species?" She was starting to feel that it wouldn't be too much longer before the two of them would meet face to face.

Nick thought about this. He wasn't ready to share his own species just yet, but he was starting to become curious about Judy. Then he came up with an idea.

"Well... we could guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we know enough about each other. You could guess what type of mammal I am, and I'll do the same."

Judy pondered this idea. "And if we're right, what then?"

"Well, maybe that's just the way we find out." Even as he said this, Nick had a sinking feeling that this was a horrible idea.

"You go first," Judy said.

"Hmm..." Nick thought long and hard, "I'm gonna say... jaguar."

"Jaguar?" she asked, surprised. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, from what I've seen, cops tend to be taller mammals, and... you do come across as a determined badass, and that made me think 'predator'. I don't know..." Nick said. "I'm wrong, aren't I?"

"At least you see me as a strong mammal," Judy said, trying not to laugh about how Nick hadn't even been close. "Okay, my turn."

Judy thought about all the things she knew about Nick. "How about... zebra?"

"Zebra..." Nick repeated, feeling oddly flattered. "Why zebra?"

"I'm not sure," Judy said. "It's just... they always give off such a cool, confident vibe. Maybe it's just the stripes, but they seem almost mysterious, you know what I mean?"

"I know that you have a thing for zebras, which has me a little worried."

Judy laughed. "Don't be."

"Well, I guess both of us have a species we can cross of our list."

"So, you've been keeping a list," she said with an eyebrow raised.

"Not physically," he remarked. Then he thought of something. "Do you have a list of species you _don't_ want to end up with?"

Her ears stood up. "Nick, I am not answering that!"

"You're not denying it."

Judy scoffed. "You know, Nick... I think you bring out the worst in me."

Nick didn't respond at first. After a few moments, Judy started to wonder if she had said something wrong, "I'm sorry," she said.

But Nick just shrugged. "I think it's kind of ironic, actually."

"What's ironic?"

"If I really bring out the worst in you, then that's ironic. Because I'm pretty sure that you bring out the best in me."

Judy's cheeks turned red, but she tried to play it cool. "Where'd you get that line from?"

"My own brain."

"And how do I bring out the best in you?"

"I don't know, it's just... when you're in a relationship with a cop, it makes you wanna be better."

Judy chose not to comment on that, as she still didn't know whether or not Nick had a criminal record. Instead, she found herself instinctively looking at the clock. "Ooh, it's that time."

"So it is," Nick said. Truthfully, he wanted to chat longer, but he was getting tired. On top of that, he was still feeling a little sick. "Same time tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course," Judy said. "Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Judy signed off, and Nick looked up at the ceiling. The fact was, he wanted to keep his relationship with Judy going, but given their separate professions, and his species... it might be difficult. Not to mention, he wasn't sure if he would even have a job tomorrow.

Judy was making his life hell in the best possible way.


	9. Sick Of Everything

Chapter Nine: Sick of Everything

Author's note: So, fun fact - last night, I finished writing the first draft of Chapter 13 of _A New Dawn_. So, that's something to celebrate, at least.

Anyway, one thing you might not know is that as I'm re-uploading _Z-Harmony_ , I'm making some very small tweaks to the original story, mostly just fixing typos. I don't want to change anything major and risk alienating any of the fans I originally gained a year ago. I'm just bringing it up because looking back, this might actually be my least favorite chapter of _Z-Harmony_. But apparently a lot of people like this chapter. So, who am I to judge?

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.

...

(Thursday, April 14th)

That morning, Nick woke up with the flu.

Perfect.

Luckily, it wasn't anything too serious. He would be out of commission for a few days, but as long as he got plenty of rest and took some medicine, he should be fine. He texted Finnick, but didn't get a response. Regardless of what was going on between the two of them, there would be no hustle today.

He spent the majority of his day watching reality TV, hoping it would help take his mind off other things. It wasn't really working.

He thought about Finnick, and how a rift had grown between them. He thought about Judy, how he was starting to open up to her in a way he hadn't before, hoping this wouldn't come back to bite him. He thought about his tax returns, and that it would probably be relatively easy to fix them if he talked to the right mammals.

But not today. Thinking about taxes just made him feel more sick.

...

For Judy, it was yet another uneventful day of parking duty.

She was starting to think that paperwork might just be the lesser of two evils, because when she was out writing tickets, mammal after mammal would say incredibly rude things to her. One elephant actually had the nerve to say, "Are you even a real cop, bunny? Or is that your Halloween costume in April?"

The speciesist remarks got Judy thinking about what Nick had said in one of their previous conversations. About how no matter what your species is, it will always hold you back in some way. And now, it seemed no matter what she did, she couldn't get others to take her seriously.

A horrible thought came to her. 'What if, when Nick finds out what I am... he doesn't want to be with me anymore?" After a moment, she shook her head. No, that was ridiculous. Nick cared about her, it didn't matter to him what kind of mammal she was.

...Right?

...

Nick was sick and tired of stupid reality TV shows. Not to mention the fact that he was literally sick. And tired.

At least he was feeling slightly better now. For one thing, his voice was feeling better, which was good because he would be chatting with Judy soon. He was already using his laptop in bed.

He was waiting to send Judy an invitation until he knew she was online. While he waited, he thought about how much had changed in the past week, and how he was suddenly thinking about changing his ways because of some cop he met online. He had to admit, it sounded crazy when you said it out loud. But there was something about Judy that just felt _right_.

It wasn't too much longer before he received the notification that Judy was online. He sent her an invitation, and before he knew it, the two of them were connected once again.

Judy spoke first, wearily. "Hey, Nick."

"Hey, Judy," Nick responded. "How was work?"

"Boring, again."

Nick was about to respond, when he unexpectedly let out a large sneeze. He then frowned when he realized he got snot all over the computer monitor.

"Bless you," Judy said. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Nah," Nick admitted. "I've got a cold today."

"Yeah, I should be back on my feet tomorrow."

"At least you got to skip work," Judy said. "I had parking duty today - the one job that no one seems to appreciate you for doing."

"Well, it's gotta be better than being sick," Nick reasons.

Judy scoffed. "You can't be _that_ sick."

"Really?" Nick asked in a joking manner. "You wanna go inside my mind and feel the amount of pain I'm feeling?" He then decided to overact just to amuse her. "Oh, the pain is unbearable!" he shouted. "Agh, the agony!"

Judy smiled. "Okay, now you're milking it."

But Nick wasn't done. He shook his body wildly all over the bed. "Judy, is that your voice? I think I see a light - ACK!"

On Judy's end, she heard a large THUD.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"I fell out of the bed."

Judy burst out laughing. Nick awkwardly got back into position. "It's not funny," he said.

"Actually, that is 'quite' funny," she said, repeating a phrase she remembered Nick saying two nights ago.

"Well, that's great," Nick remarked. "Now I can have a cold and be covered in bruises."

Judy smiled in a very condescending way. "Don't complain about bruises, Nick. I went to police academy. I got bruised every day, but I would just get back up again. What's your excuse?"

"My excuse is that I'm not a badass like you," Nick said. Then he shrugged. "Oh, well. You know what they say, bruises heal." He paused for a moment. "...Or is it 'scars heal'? I can never remember."

"It's 'scars'." Judy said. "Even though that makes no sense, because scars don't heal."

"I mean, the saying had to come from somewhere," Nick said. "I'm sure after a few years, a scar will eventually heal."

"No, Nick. They don't. I have a scar myself..." Judy suddenly froze. She hadn't meant to say that, and now the situation felt awkward.

After a few moments, Nick said, "Police academy, I'm guessing."

"No, actually..." She sighed. "I got it when I was a little girl."

"Oh..." Nick paused, realizing that the conversation had made a very abrupt shift. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's... it's fine." Judy said. She felt it was important to be honest with Nick. She took a deep breath.

"When I was nine years old, there was this _bully_. His name was Gideon Grey, and... he was a fox."

Nick felt his heart stand still.

"He was bullying another kid, and I told him to cut it out. But then he turned on me, and he..." She could feel her nose twitching just remembering it. "He took his claws, and he swiped me across my cheek. Then he held me down, and... he told me to my face that I was never going to be a cop." Judy swallowed. "But you know what? That just convinced me even more that I had to be a cop, just to spite him. And hey, I turned out pretty good, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did..." Nick said.

Judy continued. "As for the scar, it's not visible anymore. If you touched my cheek very gently, you could feel it, but otherwise there's no evidence that it ever happened."

"Ah, I see," Nick said.

After several moments of awkward silence, Nick said, "Can I ask you a really stupid question?"

Judy gave a soft smile. "Why stop now?"

Nick didn't smile. "After that incident with the bully... how do you feel about foxes? I mean, like... in general?"

"Umm..." Judy thought about that. "Well, I don't want to sound speciesist. I know there are good foxes out there. In fact, I heard that Gideon Grey is nicer now, so I'll... try to give him the benefit of the doubt if I run into him again. She paused, trying to come up with the right words. "It's just... that incident really scarred me, both literally and figuratively. And my parents in particular were really shaken up by the whole thing... actually, they gave me a bottle of fox repellant when I moved to the big city. I haven't used it yet, but you never know. It always helps to be prepared."

Every word Judy said was like a dagger being twisted further and further into Nick's heart. He honestly couldn't believe Judy would say this. In the last week, he had really gotten to care about her. But now, here she was, rambling on, completely oblivious to the fact that she was hurting him.

Judy was still talking. "...To be honest, I haven't really run into any foxes while I've been here. I mean, I've seen them, but I don't really talk to them."

Nick did not appreciate the irony.

"...Why'd you ask?"

Nick stammered. "Uh, no reason."

"Nick, is something wrong?"

"It's just, um..." He tried to think of a good excuse. "You see, I've known a number of foxes in my life."

Which was completely true. He was talking about Finnick and a few other friends that had come and gone.

"...Really?" Judy inquired.

"Yes," Nick said, shaking a little. "Remember when I told you that all mammals are gonna be discriminated against? Well, foxes... they just might have it the worst. Everyone expects them to be shifty and untrustworthy. No fox can make an honest living for themselves. If you're a fox and you got good grades in school, well obviously you must have cheated." Nick could feel himself getting angrier. "To the point where a lot of foxes become criminals because they know that's the only way society will ever accept them."

On the other line, Judy was silent for a while, before Nick said, 'Oh, would you look at the time."

"It's not that late," Judy said. "We could chat a little longer if we wanted to."

"No, I... I'm tired," Nick said. "I want to get some sleep." He still didn't feel well, and everything that Judy said seemed to only make it worse.

"Oh, okay. Goodnight, then."

Nick logged off without saying goodnight.

He put his laptop on the side of the bed, then started coughing. How was it possible that his cold felt so much worse now than it had when he started? He had always heard that your emotional state is connected to your physical health. But he had never really believed it until tonight.

All his life, Nick had been called horrible things. Street trash. Vermin. Judy had at least tried to be polite, but he knew what she was really thinking. Had he actually believed for even a split second that she was _different_? That when the time came, she would see that he was a fox and it wouldn't bother her?

Finnick had been right all along. He needed to get out of this relationship before things could get any worse. Nick closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, mumbling to himself nine simple words.

" _Never let them see that they get to you._ "


	10. Anybody Can't Be Anything

Chapter 10: Anybody Can't Be Anything

Author's Note: I'm getting nervous. It won't be too much longer now before I actually have to write the ending. Hopefully I can do it, and hopefully you guys won't be disappointed by it.

But for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

...

(Friday, April 15th)

When Judy woke up the next morning, she was feeling slightly tired. She reminded herself to get some coffee before her morning run. Once again, she found herself hoping that it wouldn't be too much longer before her job got more exciting.

In the meantime, at the very least she had her nightly conversations with Nick, but she got the feeling that it wouldn't be too much longer before the two of them would meet face to face. She just wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

While she was getting dressed, she found herself thinking that her uniform was starting to feel like a costume. When she had first been fitted for her uniform, she had felt so proud that all of her dedication had finally paid off. But now, it felt like she was only pretending to be a cop, upholding the charade. This wasn't what a cop's life was supposed to be like, she was sure of it.

But as she gathered her things, something caught her eye: the bottle of fox repellant. Up until now, she had always carried it with her on instinct. It was just something she kept in order to feel prepared. But the fact was, she had never been in a position to defend herself from any mammal, fox or otherwise. And given what Nick had said about prejudices, the fact that fox repellant was even allowed to be mass produced was a frightening thought.

She knew there were good foxes out there, she had just never met one. But evidently, Nick had.

After some internal debate, she tossed the fox repellant in the trashcan.

...

"Come on..." Nick said, anxiously. "Pick up, pick up!"

He paced around his apartment until he heard "...Hello?"

"Finnick?"

On the other line, there was a grunting sound. "This better be important."

"Finnick, I..." Nick hesitated, then quietly said, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. You were right."

But the smaller fox just chuckled. "Nick, I am always right. So tell me, what was I right about this time?"

"About Judy."

There was a pause. "Don't tell me you're going to jail now."

"No," Nick insisted. "At least, not yet anyway. It's just... well, she said some pretty speciesist things the other day..."

"You don't need to say anything else," Finnick said instantly. "I'll be at your apartment in half an hour."

Nick paused and looked around. "I don't know if I'll be able to do a hustle. I've got nothing planned, and I'm just getting over a cold."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not in the mood for that elephant costume today. How about I take you out for some BuggaBurgers?

Nick smiled. "Finnick, you know the way to my heart."

"Better than that cop ever could, anyway."

Nick didn't say anything.

...

'I can take it, I can take it, I can take it' had become Judy's new mantra. She had to keep repeating it to herself, otherwise she might just stop believing it.

She could have been working in an office anywhere, she didn't need police training for basic paperwork. At this rate, by the time she got to actual police work, she would have forgotten most of what she learned at the academy!

By the time lunch break had come around, Judy was almost at her breaking point. Maybe that coffee had been a bad idea because she could feel herself on edge. But she reminded herself not to lose her cool. One more mistake and she could lose her job.

While she sat down to eat her lunch, which was especially dry today, Officer Delgato and Higgins sat down at a nearby table, having a conversation. Judy wasn't normally one to pry, but she quickly realized that they were talking about her.

"So tell me..." Delgato began. "How long do you think the boss will keep Hopps as a meter-maid?"

Higgins shrugged. "Could be a year, maybe longer."

"Definitely longer for a bunny."

"Yeah," Higgins said with a sigh. "She wants to be doing _real_ stuff like us. It's kinda cute."

"Hey, don't say that around her. It's a taboo word."

"Pfft, I don't care, it's true."

At the point, Judy had to speak up. "Excuse me," she said. "I hate to interrupt your... _stimulating_ conversation. But, uh... you're an officer of the ZPD, aren't you. You probably shouldn't go around saying things like that. Especially not about your colleague."

"Well, I'm sorry. It's just..."

But Judy wasn't finished. "Yes, I know it can be easy to judge a mammal based on stereotypes and nothing more. After all, I'm just a _bunny_ , and we all know bunnies are nothing but cute." She felt anger rising up inside her. "Being a hippo, you might find it hard to relate, but what if all your colleagues started calling you 'fat' behind your back? You wouldn't like that, would you?"

But at that moment, Judy froze when she heard the distinct voice of her boss. "Hopps."

Judy turned around, alert. The chief was standing about ten feet away with a tray in his hands and a very stern look in his eye.

"I don't suppose you had anything you wanted to say?"

Judy took a deep breath, internally forcing herself to tone down her anger. "I just wanted to ask, um... how much longer were you planning on keeping me doing paperwork and parking duty? It's a perfectly reasonable question."

"Then I'll give you a perfectly reasonable answer," Bogo said. "As long as I can."

Some of the other officers gasped. The chief glared at them, mumbling, "Don't act surprised."

Judy looked up at her boss. She started to say, "Sir..." but then froze, remembering that her job was in serious jeopardy.

But the chief was waiting for her to speak, glaring at her in a way that made her feel even smaller than she was. "What?"

Judy looked up at her boss, trying to be as calm as she could. "I want to do something valuable with my life. I want to actually make the world a better place."

"Hopps, I have nothing against you personally," said the chief. "I just want the very best in the ZPD? You want to be a cop? This is what this looks like. And hey, it's farther than any other bunny has ever made it. Take pride in that if you want. But at this point, you have two choices. Keep doing what you're doing, or leave this job. You can become a carrot farmer for all I care."

And with that, he turned away and headed back into his office.

Every mammal in the room was now staring at Judy. After a moment, some of them began to get back to their lunches, trying to pretend that nothing had happened. Some of the others started to walk towards her, attempt to console her.

But she closed her eyes firmly. "Don't look at me like that!" she said, trying to retain whatever dignity she had left. "I don't need anyone's pity."

Francine spoke up, softly. "Judy, you can take the rest of the day off if you want..."

"I don't..." Judy began, but then she stopped. In truth, she didn't feel angry anymore. Just miserable.

She looked up at her elephant co-worker. "Tell Bogo I will be back tomorrow," With a slight hesitation she added, "Probably."

It took every ounce of self-control that Judy had not to burst into tears on the spot. She couldn't let anyone see her cry. She didn't need to enforce the prejudice that everyone else had towards her. Bunnies were called _weak_ and _vulnerable_ and _delicate_. She had tried to push beyond those stereotypes for as long as she could remember.

She couldn't give into them now.

...

Nick was absentmindedly staring at a sports game on TV, not paying attention to the game or anything else that was happening.

"Nick!"

He turned to see Finnick, staring at him with a quizzical look from the barstool next to his.

"What?"

"Did you hear a single word I said?" Finnick asked, exasperated.

Nick mulled it over. "Uh... I know you said 'Nick' right now."

The smaller fox grumbled before glancing over at his friend's glass. "Nick, you've barely even touched your drink!"

"Well, considering how things went the last time I got drunk..."

But Finnick simply laughed. "Don't blame the alcohol, man. That relationship was gonna go south no matter what happened."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Nick sighed. "The question now is, how do I get out of this?"

"Don't talk to the goddamned cop anymore," Finnick said plainly. "It's what you should have done in the first place."

"Are you sure?" asked Nick. "I mean, what if she tracks me down?"

"How?" Finnick asked, "She doesn't know where you live, or your species. And if you were smart, you didn't tell her anything she could use."

Nick glanced at his drink, debating whether or not to have any. "I hope so, but it's probably best not to underestimate a cop."

Finnick gave him a blank stare. "I think you're giving them too much credit. We've always managed to stay one step ahead of them, right?"

Nick was unsure. "I don't know... maybe we've just been lucky."

"It's not luck," Finnick said. "The ZPD is so clueless. You know, I heard something a while back that said they were hiring _bunnies_."

"That can't be true." Nick chuckled a bit. "Do you believe everything you read on the internet?"

"Look, all I'm saying is, we've been hustling for a long time, and we haven't been caught by the fuzz." Finnick looked at his friend, earnestly. "Because we _know_ what we're doing and they don't."

Nick sighed. He looked at his drink again, before deciding to put it down. He held his head in his hands.

"What is it, Nick?"

Nick looked up. "...Why is the world do unfair?

Finnick laughed. "You're just asking that now?"

Nick gave his friend a look that clearly showed that this was no time to joke around. Finnick sighed and grabbed Nick's arm, staring at the larger fox with a look that was equal parts intense and sincere. "Nick, at some point or another, you gotta realize what you are. If the world says we're vermin, let's be vermin. Once you embrace it, nothing else matters."

After a few moments, Nick stood up. "I've gotta get home."

...

One ring... two rings... Judy tapped her foot impatiently. Finally, she heard a voice coming from the phone. "Hello?"

Judy took a few deep breaths before saying, "Mom?"

"Judy!" There was some uncomfortable static, then... "Stu, come quick! Judy's on the phone!"

In no time at all, both of her parents were on the other line. "Hey there, Jude! Jude the Dude, remember that one?"

Judy smiled. "Hey, Dad."

"It's been a while since you called," her father said. "Is everything all right?"

"No..." Judy said quietly. "No, everything is not all right."

"What's wrong?" asked her mother.

"Are you sick?" asked her father.

"No, I'm in good health. Though that's kind of the only good thing going on in my life." Even as Judy was saying it, she knew it wasn't true. She had Nick... but she knew that it she brought up her new online boyfriend, her parents would want to talk about nothing but that for the rest of the call.

"It's about my job," Judy began slowly.

"What about it?" asked her mother.

"Well... you know how I told you I was stuck doing parking duty and paperwork?"

"Yeah?"

"The chief implied that he wants to keep me there... permanantly."

After a few moments, Judy heard her father's voice. "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious." Judy was already starting to feel the tears welling up. "Mom, Dad..."

"Oh, thank God!"

"What a relief!"

For a moment, Judy was still. "Excuse me?"

"It's just... we're happy for you," her father said, excitedly. "You've got a steady job, and it's a safe job!"

Her mother continued. "It might not be exactly what you wanted, but..."

Judy didn't want to hear it. "You're _happy_ for me. I'm stuck in a dead end job, and it sucks, and you can't even _pretend_ to be disappointed?"

Judy stared at disbelief at her phone, while her parents were rapidly talking over one another. "Sweetie, that's not... what we meant was... Oh, how do I put this..."

Judy spoke up. "You want me to be normal. Those are the words you're looking for."

Her father tried to think of the right thing to say. "The thing is, Judy... not everyone can be a hero who changes the world. Some mammals just have to settle for less."

Judy was getting desperate. "Mom... you have my back, right?"

On the other line, her mother was hesitating. "Sweetie... you went to the big city to become a police officer, and it turns out it wasn't everything you hoped. Maybe it's time to give up on those dreams, Judy. I mean, no one can say you didn't try."

"Yes," her father agreed, "That sounded better than what I said."

Judy gritted her teeth. "I gotta go!"

"Judy, we're proud of all you've accomplished so far," her mother said. "It's just..."

"It's just that you don't want me accomplishing anything else," Judy finished.

Her parents didn't know what to say. After a second, her mother said, "Judy, please..."

But Judy hung up, with tears already starting to well up in her eyes. And there was no stopping them this time.

All her life, she believed that Zootopia was a place where anybody could be anything. That with a dream and a little perseverance, you could do anything you wanted to do. But now it seemed like the whole universe was against her. Everyone she talked to, even her own parents, were telling her that this dream really was impossible. That the entire thing was a fool's errand.

Suddenly, Judy's phone rang. She looked and saw that her parents were trying to call her back. She pressed 'Cancel.'

There was only one mammal she wanted to talk to right now.

...

When Nick arrived home, he thought it would be best if he just took it easy for the rest of the day. He opened up his laptop, hoping to watch some funny videos or something, when he saw a notification in the top right corner of the screen.

 **Z-Harmony**

 **Judy** has invited you to chat!

Nick stared at the notification, perplexed. It didn't make sense. Judy should still be working at this time of day. Had something happened?

'Talk to Judy? Y/N'

He couldn't talk to her. Not now, not after everything Finnick had said. He had to move on. He moved the cursor over 'N' but he felt himself shaking. It must be important if she wanted to chat in the middle of the day. He looked at the message again.

'Talk to Judy? Y/N'

Such a casual font. Such a simple question. And yet, it felt as though everything in his life had been building to this moment. As much as it hurt, there was still a part of himself that cared about Judy. As much as he wanted to deny it, there was still a part of him that wanted to talk to her. To hear her voice... just one more time.

'Talk to Judy? Y/N'

Nick sat down. He took several deep breaths. He crossed his fingers.

At the very least, she deserved a respectful goodbye.

He clicked 'Y'.


	11. Something To Tell

Chapter Eleven: Something To Tell

Author's Note: So, one year ago, this is the last chapter I wrote before abandoning the story. Now, I will write the final two chapters sometime next week. For now, this will be the last update before Chapter 9 of _A New Dawn_ comes out. Speaking of which, that story was recently featured on ZNN, which is extremely exciting and deeply humbling at the same time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.

...

As soon as Nick saw that he and Judy were connected, he began to speak. "Judy, there's something I need to tell you..."

But as he paused, he heard something strange on the other line. At first, it seemed like Judy was having trouble breathing... then his eyes lit up with realization and horror.

"Judy, are you _crying_?"

"Nick, I..." Judy sniffled. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to talk... I need to talk!" She was struggling to hold herself together. "I wanted to make the world a better place... that's why I came to Zootopia. But the Chief... he won't let me do anything! Nothing _productive_ , anyway! I just get in the way of the actual cops!"

"Judy..." Nick began. But he was interrupted.

"And then I called my parents and they're _happy_ with that! They're happy that I'm safe! They don't want me solving cases, or catching criminals! Leave that to the _real_ cops!

"You've got the badge, right?"

"...Yeah?"

"Then I'm pretty sure that makes you a real cop."

In all honesty, Nick wasn't sure why he had said that. It just felt like the right thing to say. He had to end the relationship, he had to say goodbye. It's just that when someone is crying, the polite thing to do is try and comfort them. Even when you're trying to break up with them.

On the other line, Judy was smiling. "Thanks, Nick... I needed to hear that."

But there was still something that confused Nick. "Are you at work right now?"

"I took the rest of the day off."

"But... how did you know I would be available at this time of day?"

"I didn't," Judy admitted. "I just hoped."

"Ah..." Nick tapped his fingers on the desk. "Look, Judy... There's something I wanna talk to you about."

"What is it, Nick?"

"It's just, I've been doing a lot of thinking about..." Nick realized he could feel his hands shaking. "Well, where our relationship is headed."

After a few moments, Judy responded. "I think I know what you're talking about."

"You do?" Nick asked, his heart racing at an abnormal rate.

"Do you think... we should meet each other?" Judy asked. "I mean, in real life?"

"No, no... I just." He tried desperately to find the right words. "I'm just not sure how this is gonna work out."

"What are you unsure about?"

"Everything." Nick took a deep breath. It was now or never. "I don't think we should keep talking to each other."

On the other line, Judy was silent. It took a moment for her to even register what he was saying.

"...What, why?" she asked, stunned. "I thought our conversations were going well! ...I thought you liked me."

"I do like you, Judy. I think you're amazing, but..." Nick was being sincere, and he kept telling himself he had to stop it. "I don't know what to tell you..."

"Is this about your taxes?" Judy asked. "Because if it is, I don't care!" Judy had to make an effort not to start crying again. "Nick, I'll probably never make a single arrest in my career! And even if you turned out to be some underground criminal, you'd still be a more decent mammal than most of the police officers I know! Certainly more than my own boss!"

Nick was starting to hold back tears himself. "...You don't have to say that."

"Well, I'm sorry if you were offended by my compliment," Judy said simply. "Listen, whatever second-guessing you're having right now, I know you're good. You're kind and caring, you're funny and charming, and you respect me-"

But suddenly, Judy cut herself off. For a moment, she was completely silent. And when she continued speaking, it was in a much quieter voice.

"...You respect me because you don't know what I am."

Judy was struck with the realization that Nick envisioned her as a much larger mammal. He had actually guessed that she was a jaguar two nights ago. Maybe Nick was a much larger mammal. Maybe he didn't want to be with some pathetic little _bunny_.

She took a deep breath. "You know what?" she asked. "I don't care anymore. I am not going to spend any more time believing in something that won't come true. Nick, if you're going to break my heart, I'd rather you did it today. That way, it happens all at once."

Nick was the only one who took her seriously. Now, it was time to put him to the test.

"I'm a bunny."

She waited. For a while was absolute silence on both ends of the phone. After a moment or two, Judy spoke again, hoping to fill the silence.

"There, I said it. I'm a bunny. And as hard as it is to believe, I'm also a cop. I'm actually the first of my species to join the ZPD. I swear, I'm not lying to you. There are a ton of articles about me online. Just look up 'Judy Hopps', that's my full name. Well, 'Judith Laverne Hopps' if you want to be specific.

Judy paused and realized that Nick was still not responding.

"Nick, say something. Anything."

As Judy's words were sinking in, Nick's initial thoughts were that it didn't make sense. He had never heard of a bunny cop, much less a bunny who was able to take down a rhino or outrun a cheetah. But given how sincere Judy had been up until that point, he didn't know why she would lie to him, especially at a moment like this. Maybe this was just a devious cop trick.

But then he began to think. And slowly but surely, the puzzle pieces started to come into place.

The fact that Finnick had brought up 'bunny officers' merely hours ago. The fact that her co-workers and boss didn't respect her. The fact that she had grown up in a small town...

...The fact that she had brought fox repellant to the city.

Judy spoke again, breaking his concentration. "Nick, _please_ say something!"

Nick looked around, nervously. "Um, well... I never would have guessed it in a million years."

"...And?"

"And, uh..." Nick tried to lighten the mood. "Your middle name is Laverne, really?"

"Nick..."

"I guess I'm not one to talk, though. I mean, my middle name is ten times worse..."

"Nick, I need you to be serious for just one moment," Judy said. "What do you think of me now? Can you tell me honestly that it doesn't change anything? That you still respect me?"

There was a part of Nick that wanted to say no. That bunnies couldn't be cops and that was that. It was probably exactly what Finnick would have said. But Nick was not Finnick, and despite everything, he felt it was important in this moment to be truthful with her.

"Judy, I've never met anyone who could honestly say they took on a rhino and won. And..." he hesitated. "You seem to have figured out the whole 'taxes' thing. No cop has ever figured that out before. So, I kind of hate you for that. But at the end of the day, I respect you. And honestly, the fact that you're a bunny kind of makes me respect you more, because I know that getting this far couldn't have been easy... I mean, if nothing else, just telling me your species was incredibly brave."

Judy found herself smiling very wide. "Thank you so much, Nick," she said. "But I didn't tell you because I was trying to be brave. I told you because I trust you."

On the other line, Nick has gone completely silent.

"...Nick?"

Nick spoke up. "...What did you just say?"

"I trust you," Judy repeated.

Nick couldn't remember the last time anyone said those words to him. For all he knew, no one had _ever_ said those words to him.

For a split second, he didn't know what to think. But when that second was over, he began to feel angry. "Shut up."

"But..."

Nick didn't want to hear it. "You've only known me for a week, and in that time you've already figured out that I don't have the most noble of professions. You don't even know what my species is. And yet, you _trust_ me?"

Judy didn't even need to think about it. "Yes. Because I don't think you see the good in yourself, and I'm telling you, it's there."

"Don't tell me things about myself!" he yelled, louder than he had in a long time. "There's so much that you don't know! Not just about me, about the world! That old saying, 'Anybody can be anything'... Do you honestly think that's how the world works?!"

After a moment or two, he heard Judy's voice, sounding genuinely concerned. "Nick... why are you crying?"

Nick hadn't even realized he was crying, but once he realized it, he couldn't stop. The tears were pouring down his face with no end in sight. In that moment, it was as though he was eight years old again, sitting outside the building where the Ranger Scouts met. The real anger scouts, no foxes allowed.

"Nick, listen to me, what's wrong?!" Judy asked, desperately. "Tell me why you're sad! At the very least, we can be sad together!"

"Judy..." Nick said, in between tears. "What you said... it just made me think of something..."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me," Judy said, firmly. "I'm here for you."

"Judy, I haven't told anyone about this... except for my parents and Finnick... he's a close friend..."

Judy leaned in. "I trust you, Nick." she said. "Do you trust _me_?"

There was a long pause until finally, Nick's words came out, slow and shaking. "Judy, I... I already told you that when I was a kid, my family was very poor. But, there's something else... I think I was about eight years old, maybe nine, and all I wanted to do... was join the Junior Ranger Scouts."

As Nick spoke, he wasn't even focused on his own words. Instead, he found himself reliving the memory he had tried so hard to forget. Because he had already cried in front of Judy. He had let her see that she got to him. He had broken his rule. Not to mention the fact that she had already opened her heart to him.

It was only fair.

But why did it have to be so _painful_?

Now, he was back in front of the woodchuck kid, and the lights had turned off, and he was surrounded by the other kids, not knowing that they were about to become fierce. He was just an innocent child who didn't have a clue what was about to happen.

And now, he was saying the words that he had memorized since childhood.

"I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy."

With every word, Nick could feel his stomach tying up in knots.

"Go on," Judy said.

"...And then, he turned to me with the nastiest look I'd ever seen, and he spoke with this horrible disdain... 'Even though you're a _fox_?'"

After a few moments of silence, he heard Judy speaking very softly. "Oh my God..." with all the trauma he was reliving, Nick had almost forgotten that he was actually revealing his species to her. But he couldn't stop. If he had told her this much, he had to tell her the rest of the story.

And as he continued, he tried to listen for the gaps in Judy's voice. He tried to get back in the moment like before, being pushed down and unable to get back up. It had been five against one, and he couldn't even cry for help because the muzzle was too tight. Even when he had run out of the building, there was no one there to tell him it was going to be all right. Sure, his mother had comforted him when he got back to his house, but for the entire walk home, Nick had been completely on his own. Just him and the empty, black sky.

Looking back, it seemed like a nightmare. Except he knew for a fact that it was real.

"I learned two things that day," Nick said, wrapping up the story. "One, I was never gonna let anybody see that they got to me. And two, if the world was gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there was no point in trying to be anything else... which is basically how I entered my line of work." His heart rate kept getting faster. "I became a goddamned criminal, Judy. And it's not that I don't feel bad about it, it's just..." Nick tried in vain to stop the tears. "... I didn't see any other option."

After a few more moments of Nick sobbing, Judy finally spoke up. "Nick, that's horrible... I am so sorry." Tears were starting to form in her eyes as well. "I wish I could have been there, I could have stood up to those bullies."

"You would have been a baby," Nick said, starting to pull himself together. "You wouldn't have been able to stand up, period."

"I know," Judy said, resigned. "But if I could have done something, I would have."

Nick sniffed, then realized that something was missing. "So, uh... do you have any kind of reaction regarding my species?"

Judy bit her lip anxiously. "Nick, you should know... I threw away the bottle of fox repellant earlier this morning. And now, I hate myself for even having it in the first place."

"You really threw it away?"

"Yes, Nick. After what you said regarding foxes..." Her ears shot up. "Sweet cheese and crackers, I probably should have figured it out earlier!" she sighed, but there was a slight smile on her face. I guess I'm not much of a detective, huh?"

"No, no you're not," Nick said, starting to smile.

"Look, Judy said. "I may have had some... irrational thoughts regarding predators before, and I feel so horrible about that."

"Well, if it helps," remarked Nick, "I may not have always held bunnies in the highest regard."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Surprisingly, that doesn't really help."

Nick chuckled. "Okay, okay. So we both had our own prejudices."

"But we can get better," Judy said, determined. "I know we can get better."

Suddenly, Nick started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Judy.

"It just hit me," Nick said. "This website thought it would be a good idea to pair up a bunny cop and a fox with a criminal record. I mean, I know opposites attract, but damn! That seems unrealistic by rom-com standards."

"Well," Judy said, "I am glad it paired us up, even if it is awfully unconventional."

Nick smiled. "Me, too."

At that moment, Nick heard a buzz coming from his phone. He looked down and saw that Finnick had texted him.

It read; 'Going to the bowling alley, u wanna come?'

Nick looked up, "My buddy Finnick wants to take me out for bowling." He hesitated. Should I..."

"By all means, go." Judy said. "You deserve it. But now that we know each others species, we should probably talk about setting some sort of real-life meeting."

"Well, we've come this far," Nick said with a shrug, "When's your next day off?"

"Sunday," Judy said. "Day after tomorrow."

Nick looked down at his phone to see another text that said, 'Nick, u there?' He sighed. "How about you contact me tomorrow, and we can arrange it?"

Judy smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Oh, and Nick... there's something I wanted to say before signing off."

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say... you may be a fox, and you may be involved in some sort of crime... and both of those are gonna take some time to get used to for me... but no matter what, you're a good mammal. I know you are. And you've made my life better just by being in it."

Nick could feel his heart melting even more. "Judy... you're gonna make me cry again."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize."

For a few moments the two mammals just sat by their computer monitors in silence. Only to be brought back to the real world by the sound of Nick's ringtone.

"I've gotta go. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

And just like that, the conversation was over. And almost immediately, Nick felt sad that she was gone. He realized in that moment that he needed her in his life. Bunny or not, cop or not. He had gone past the point of no return, and all that was left was for him to see her.

But first, he had to answer his phone.

"Nick, where have you been?"

"Sorry, phone was on mute," Nick lied. "So, uh... Grizzly Bowling Alley in TundraTown, right?"

"You coming?"

"You bet your tail I'm coming," Nick said. "Oh, and you might wanna do yourself a favor and get completely hammered."

"Uh,,, I was probably gonna do that anyway, but why?"

Nick stood up and straightened his tie. "I have an... _interesting_ story to tell you."


	12. First Impressions Again

Chapter Twelve: First Impressions Again

Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day.

When I first started writing _Z-Harmony_ over a year ago, I had no idea how popular the story would be come. And now, Chapter 12 is finally here! I'd like to thank everyone for waiting. And just to clarify, there will be a Chapter 13, to finish off the story. That chapter will come at some point during the next two weeks.

It's so weird coming back to this story. All of my attention is on _A New Dawn_ these days, and hopefully I can get these last two chapters out in a way that's satisfactory to my audience.

Okay, here we go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.

…

If you had asked Finnick just yesterday, he would have told you that he had seen everything in this city. Being a con-mammal had led him to do some pretty weird things over the years, and he was starting to feel like nothing could surprise him anymore.

Until today.

"So… she's a bunny?"

"Yeah."

"And she knows you're a fox?"

"Yeah."

"… _And_ she knows you have a criminal record?"

"Yes, Finnick," Nick said, "We literally went over all of this."

"I'm just trying to figure out what it is I'm missing here," Finnick reasoned. "You're telling me that this bunny... scratch that, this bunny _cop_... still wants to be with you."

"Yes, that's what I'm telling you." Nick said, simply.

"…And I take it you still want to be with her."

Nick sighed. "This conversation is feeling very one-sided."

Finnick paused, lost in thought. Finally he said, "I give up, man."

"Look, I know this is crazy…" Nick started to say.

Finnick laughed. "Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it."

"But I _really_ like her. And I think we have a chance. I'm meeting her on Sunday."

Finnick looked up at his friend. It was so hard for him to get a grip on his partner sometimes. But whatever was going on, it was clear that Nick was very happy. Whether or not Nick was crazy, it was clear that there was no talking him out of it.

"Whatever," Finnick said, getting up off his stool.

"Still up for bowling?" Nick asked.

Finnick groaned. "Fine. I'll do some lanes with you, but please keep the lovey-dovey details to yourself. And don't you dare do that thing where you 'mistake me for the ball.'

Nick laughed. "Oh come on, that was a funny joke."

"My _spine_ didn't think it was very funny!"

…

(Saturday, April 16th)

Judy had been assigned parking duty yet again.

Her numbers were significantly lower than usual. This was partly due to her being sick of her job, and partly because she couldn't stop thinking about Nick.

She had to keep reminding herself that she was in a relationship with a fox. What would her parents think?

There were still some aspects of him that remained a mystery, like his home life and the exact nature of his criminal record. She hoped that once she met him in real life, all the puzzle pieces would come together. She wanted to be able to connect his voice with an image, as she didn't really have one at the moment. She wanted to see his face. His eyes. His ears.

…But what about his teeth and claws?

Judy hated herself for even thinking that, but the point remained.

There was a sense of irony about the whole thing. Judy felt she could trust Nick. She just wasn't sure if she could trust herself around him.

…

For the first time in a while, Nick found himself aimlessly wandering the city streets alone.

He didn't feel like doing a hustle today. Even if he had attempted one, his heart just wouldn't have been in it.

At least his cold had disappeared by this point. He wondered if he should try going to a gym or pool today, he wanted to be in good shape before meeting Judy.

Absentmindedly, Nick wandered into a shop, not really caring what it was. He just wanted a place to rest his legs and maybe use the bathroom.

"What the hell do you want now, fox?"

Nick looked up and saw an elephant standing behind the counter. He recognized this elephant – it was Jerry Jumbeaux Jr, owner of a café he had hustled about a month ago.

Nick realized in that moment that he had hustled a good percentage of the companies in Zootopia, which would make things considerably more difficult in the event that he decided to go straight and get a real job.

Nick cleared his throat. "I'm so sorry, I just wandered in."

Mr. Jumbeaux raised an eyebrow. "Where's your son today?"

"Oh, he's… he's with his mother." Nick was starting to feel guilty for telling lies so much, but this didn't look like the most opportune moment to come clean.

"Well, you're lucky," the elephant said. "I've got a bit of a soft spot for kids. But I don't want it to turn into a regular thing, understand?"

Nick nodded. "Yes, sir. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. I'll be on my way-"

BANG.

The noise startled everyone in the shop. Half of the customers covered their ears, and when they turned to face the direction of the noise, they were shocked and terrified.

A polar bear in a ski mask had come into the shop, carrying a large empty sack in one hand and a pistol in the other.

"All right, nobody move a damn muscle!" The bear shouted. "This is a stick-up!"

…

Now, Judy had always prided herself on her above-average hearing. Which is why it wasn't difficult for her to pick up the startling sound of gunshots happening just a block away from her current location.

The noise took her completely by surprise, and when was able to compose herself, she quickly got into her cart and started driving in the direction of the noise. After a while, she saw a building marked 'Jumbeaux's Café'. And she could see _just enough_ through the window to know that something very bad was happening.

In the month that she had been working as a meter-maid, Judy had never encountered an actual crime while on duty, and she was equal parts excited and terrified. She picked up her police radio to contact Clawhauser.

On the other line, the cheetah picked up. "Hey Judy, what's wrong?"

"Clawhauser, I heard gunshots. There is a robbery going on in Savanna Central."

"Omigod!" Clawhauser exclaimed. "Hold on, let me connect you to the chief."

After a few seconds, Judy heard the distinct voice of Chief Bogo. "Hopps, this better be important."

Judy tried not to sound nervous. "Chief, I'm calling to report a robbery. My location is…"

Her boss interrupted her. "Before we continue… are you absolutely certain that this is a real robbery? You're not just making this up as an excuse to do something?

Judy was appalled that the chief would even think that. "No, sir. I heard the gunshots. And now I'm seeing it with my own eyes."

The chief sighed. "All right, tell me your location."

"Downtown. Sousten Street. Jumbeaux's Café."

"Describe what you can see."

"I can see it happening through the window. From what I can make out, there's a large polar bear with a ski mask and loaded pistol, Most of the customers appear to be pachyderms."

"Can the robber see you?"

"I don't think so, sir."

After a brief pause, the chief said, "All right. I'll send some officers in that direction. They should be here in about five minutes. Hopps, whatever you do, do not go inside that building. Do I make myself clear?"

"But, sir-"

"I'm not going to ask again," he said plainly.

Judy hesitated, then reluctantly nodded her head. "Of course, sir."

…

Nick didn't know what to do.

His first thought was to try and slip out undetected. He was noticeably smaller than the other customers, so it seemed doable. But this bear was standing right in front of the door, and he had a gun.

As for Mr. Jumbeaux, he was not keen of having someone try to rob his store. "Look, mister," he said sternly. "I don't go around giving my hard earned cash to some dirty _pred_ just because they point some shiny toy in my face. So why don't you get out of my shop?"

The bear snarled and pointed his gun in the air. In an instant, he fired it, resulting in another loud BANG and a bullet hole in the ceiling.

The bear chuckled. "Still think it's a toy, huh?"

…

Judy winced at the sound of the gunshot.

There was no doubt about it, this situation was escalating _fast_. And if the police didn't get here soon, it was very likely that someone could get hurt, even killed.

She also knew that if she stepped in, she could be putting herself in real danger. This criminal was much larger than she was, and even if she did manage to apprehend the criminal, then her job would be on the line for disobeying orders.

But in that moment, Judy realized something. If she chose to do nothing, she would probably be stuck in a dead-end job for the rest of her life. If she stepped in, she would likely be fired – but at least she would have stopped one crime. She would have genuinely saved the lives of multiple innocent civilians.

She picked up her radio again. "Clawhauser, any word on when the other officers get here?"

"Uh, it looks like it's gonna be a few more minutes. Just sit tight, Judy."

Judy took a deep breath. "I've had enough of sitting tight."

"Judy… what are you going to do?"

"This is my one chance to be a real cop, Clawhauser," she said firmly. "I've gotta take it."

And she hung up before Clawhauser could object. She raced across the street and got into position by the front door.

She tried to think of a strategy. Clearly, this bear overpowered her. But if she could disarm him, then she might stand a chance. She just needed the right angle.

…

The bear didn't move, he just stood there by the door. "Mr. Jumbeaux, sir… I'm a simple mammal, really. All I want is your money. Now, you give it to me, and I'll get out of your little shop. But if you don't…." He gave a sinister smile. "You know I've always heard that a bullet up the trunk is extremely painful. Care to help me demonstrate?"

Mr. Jumbeaux was torn. He didn't want to give in to the bear's request, but he was beginning to feel afraid.

And in that moment, Nick Wilde made a decision that was both very brave and very stupid.

"Hey!"

The bear turned to the sound of the noise, then looked down. He was surprised to see that the voice had come not from an elephant, but from a red fox. "Why are you doing this?" the fox asked.

The bear chortled. "Why am I _doing this_? Is that your statement?"

"No, it's my _question_. There's a difference." Nick said, trying to appear more confident than he felt. "I want to know why you decided to devote your life to crime rather than trying to make an honest living for yourself. Because whatever's going on in your life right now, there's gotta be a better way."

There was a brief pause, then the bear started marching towards Nick, towering over him. "Oh really? And who the hell are you to judge me, fox?"

And then he pointed his gun directly at Nick.

…

Judy's eyes widened as the bear moved away from the front door. Crossing her fingers, Judy made a beeline for the door and made it into the shop.

No one noticed her, seeing how small she was. All of their attention was focused on the bear and whomever he was talking to. It didn't matter anyway, she just needed to think. She realized that if she jumped the robber from behind and grabbed hold of his mask, it might be enough to bring the bear to his knees.

But she needed to act quickly. She took a few steps back, preparing to jump, when she heard a loud creaking sound from underneath her feet.

Judy realized in horror that she had stepped on a loose floorboard, and in an instant, the bear had turned his head. And he was now looking straight at her.

"Wow," he said with a chuckle. "Are you supposed to arrest me? No wonder the ZPD is failing these days."

…

Nick felt relieved when the bear turned away from him, though it didn't help that the gun was still pointed in Nick's direction.

But in that moment, something came over Nick that he had never felt before. There were innocent mammals in this shop, and their lives were at risk. He found himself wishing that there was something he could do. And then an idea popped into his head.

Without stopping to thick it over, Nick summoned all of his strength and knocked the gun out of the bear's hand.

All eyes were on the pistol as it clattered on the floor. As the bear realized what had happened, he became enraged. He rushed to get it but Nick was faster. He grabbed it and held it above his head.

The bear snarled, furiously. "Give that to me, you stupid, ugly fo-"

THWACK.

With no warning, the bear began to fall to his knees. He had been hit in the back, in exactly the right place to make him collapse.

At first, Nick didn't know what was going on, and he started to run in the opposite direction to avoid being squished. And a few seconds later, he heard a loud CRASH behind him. The bear was down.

Nick closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. It was over. The robber had been stopped, everyone was safe, and in the background, he could hear a cop reading the bear his rights. Everything was…

 _Wait._

"Mister, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

He knew that voice.

Slowly, he turned around to face the officer, and when he saw he her, felt his jaw drop.

"…Judy?"

There was no question whatsoever that this was her. After all, it wasn't every day you saw a rabbit in a police uniform. And when she turned to face him, he realized her eyes were a vibrant purple, exactly like she had described in their first conversation.

She stared at him for a moment, "How did you…" Then her eyes lit up. " _Nick?_ "  
"

There was silence. Neither of them said anything. They both looked stunned and a little embarrassed. Even the other mammals in the store seemed to stop talking. It was as though time had come to a halt for one glorious moment.

Eventually, it was Nick who spoke.

"…You saved me."

Judy gave a genuine smile. "Well, that's what we do in the ZPD."

Just then, the bear ruined the moment by grunting and trying to get back up. Judy snapped back into police mode and tried to keep the bear down, but it wasn't easy for a mammal her size.

Judy looked up at Nick, a little sheepishly. "Can I, uh... get a little help here?"

Nick immediately got down on the ground. First, he handed Judy the gun for evidence. She placed it on the ground beside her and then both of them tried to push against the large bear, who was trying valiantly to stand up.

Meanwhile, the other customers in the shop exchanged awkward glances with one another. They didn't know what to make of the scene that was unfolding, and they were unsure whether or not they should get involved.

Nick was trying his hardest to hold down the bear's left paw. "Shouldn't you have pawcuffs or something?"

"Sorry, I couldn't fit bear-sized paw cuffs in my uniform," Judy said, humorously. "Besides, backup should be coming any minute now."

"You know, I thought you said your job was boring," Nick remarked.

"It usually is!" Judy said, giving a slight shrug while trying to keep the culprit down. "I don't know, maybe things only get exciting when you're around."

"Well, thank you very much! Just a second…" he turned around to face the other customers in the shop. "Excuse me, I don't suppose any of you pachyderms could help us out here?"

An elephant couple rushed over to the scene, and fortunately, they were able to hold down the bear quite easily. This meant that Nick and Judy had some time to chat before backup arrived.

Everything had happened so fast, Nick barely had any time to take in the fact that he was actually talking to Judy, face to face. In the past week, his life had been completely changed by her mere voice, and now he had a face to go with it. And he was not disappointed by what he saw. When he looked into those amazing violet eyes, he could see all the kindness and determination in the world staring right back at him.

Not to mention - for a bunny, she was unbelievably attractive.

"So…" Nick began. "This is the real you, huh?"

"Yes," Judy said, a little embarrassed. "Although, I wish that someone would have given me a heads up that this meeting would take place a day early. I was planning on wearing something fancy for a good first impression."

Nick shrugged. "I think it worked out okay. I mean, what you did back there… I'd definitely call that a good first impression."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You look so…" he paused, trying to find the right word.

Judy picked up on his hesitation. "Just letting you know… it's not really considered polite to call a bunny 'cute.'

Nick immediately shook his head. "I wasn't going to say that at all. No, you look… amazing."

Judy found herself blushing. "You're not so bad looking yourself. I mean, I don't really know what I was expecting, but you look good."

"Good?" Nick said, chuckling a bit. "Is that all you can say?"

"You look very…" Judy thought for a moment, before settling on, "handsome."

Nick was a little surprised by that. "Handsome for a fox?"

Judy shook her head. "Handsome, period."

…

What happened next was all a blur in Nick's mind. Once backup arrived, the bear was taken into custody, while Judy followed her fellow officers back to the police station. Nick was also taken to the station, along with all the other witnesses to the crime. (Mr. Jumbeaux was not terribly happy about having to close the store for the day just because of some jerk with a gun.)

…

"And so I helped her hold the bear down, and then the two elephants stepped up to keep him down, and… that's when backup showed up. That's pretty much it."

Officer Higgins looked at his notes for what seemed like longer than necessary before finally saying, "Your story matches what Officer Hopps and the other witnesses told us. You're in the clear, fox."

"Thank you, sir."

Nick walked out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief. He had been starting to worry that the cop might be prejudiced against foxes, and would maybe try and connect him with the crime. Thankfully, that hadn't happened, and he had been allowed to walk away, free.

But as he walked through the hall, he caught the sound of Judy's voice in another room. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he peered in. It looked like she was getting grilled by her boss, a cape buffalo. And he did not look happy.

"Hopps, for all your talk about good hearing, you don't seem to be very good at listening, do you?"

"Sir, I…"

The chief slammed his hoof on the desk. "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to you, Hopps! I specifically told you not to go inside that building. You deliberately disobeyed your supreme officer. This kind of behavior is completely out of line and will _not_ be permitted."

Nick sensed the tone in the chief's voice. This guy was clearly very upset, and he was about to do something drastic.

And Nick wasn't having it.

He barged right into that room. Both Judy and her boss were surprised to see him come in. "Excuse me, I really don't want to be rude, but… were you about to fire her for saving my life?"

After a moment of stunned silence, the chief frowned. "If you would kindly leave us alone, fox. This is none of your concern."

"I hate to disagree with you," Nick said, not at all meaning it. "But as a citizen of Zootopia, I am _very_ concerned. I mean, not only did she save my life, but she saved the lives of roughly a dozen innocent civilians and arrested the robber. Now, if that's the kind of thing that can get you fired, I am really concerned about the future of the ZPD. So, from a morality standpoint as well as a publicity standpoint, I really don't see the benefit in firing her."

He let that sink in for a moment before adding, "But hey, you don't have to listen to me. After all, if she had just done the job that _you_ told her to do, I would be dead."

The chief was absolutely speechless. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't deny the fact that the fox had made some very good points.

Finally, the chief cleared his throat. "Hopps, return to your desk. Fill out a report on the attempted robbery. When you're finished, you can leave."

"And… after that?" Judy asked, cautiously.

The chief mulled it over for a few moments before saying. "If I'm not mistaken, tomorrow is your day off. How convenient. I'll expect you to come in Monday, and… we'll talk."

Almost instantly, Judy's ears perked up, but she tried to hide her giddiness and stay professional. "Thank you, sir."

Judy climbed out of the oversized chair and smiled at Nick, before walking out the door. Nick turned to follow her, when-

"Fox, come here."

Nick turned back to the chief and pulled himself into the chair that Judy had been sitting in. "I have a name, you know," he remarked.

"I figured as much, but I don't care," the chief said with a shrug. "From what I understand, you were partially responsible for apprehending the robber. You knocked the pistol out of his paws. Is that true?"

Nick nodded.

The chief was staring at him, curiously. "I've known a lot of foxes in my life," he said. "They usually have a tendency to be sly and clever. But most of them don't use their cleverness to actually help others."

"Most of them aren't given the chance," Nick responded.

The chief paused momentarily, as if he had never considered that. Then he said, "The stories all add up, but there's still one detail that confuses me. When I spoke with Officer Hopps, she seemed to imply that the two of you had never met before. But according to several eyewitnesses, you two had a lengthy conversation as soon as the robber was down. And given the way you stood up for her just now, I find myself doubting that you two are strangers. So… do you and Hopps know one another?"

Nick shrugged and replied, "Yes and no." But when the chief didn't seem to like that answer, Nick clarified. "What I mean is, uh… we met online. Through Z-Harmony."

"Z-Harmony? The dating site?" The chief looked utterly perplexed before sighing. "She is certainly not a typical bunny, is she?"

"But she's pretty incredible, right?"

The chief said nothing, but Nick couldn't help but feel that they were in agreement.

Finally, the chief asked. "What's your name, fox?"

"Wilde, Nick Wilde."

"I don't know what she sees in you, Wilde."

"Neither do I," Nick admitted.


End file.
